


Red

by NeneDiallo



Series: Teen Wolf Love Songs [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 1989, F/M, Fluff, Haylor AU, Lydia as Taylor Swift, SO MUCH FLUFF, Stiles as Harry Styles, Stydia, pop stars AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-23 04:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4863536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeneDiallo/pseuds/NeneDiallo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last time they have seen each other they were normal sixteen-year-old teenagers in Beacon Hills. </p><p>Six years passed and now she’s Lydia Martin, the country star (also known as the sweetheart of American music industry) and he’s a member of the newest music sensation, rock band Beacon. </p><p>When their paths cross again it’s clear there’s an unspoken connection between the strawberry blonde and the boy with chocolate brown eyes, but love is a fragile flame. </p><p>It could easily burn out, when you could build a castle out of all the bricks people throw at you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. LIGHT UP THE DARK, BE MY BEACON IN THE NIGHT

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I have had in mind ever since I heard Taylor Swift's 1989. I've been fighting the urge to write this down, but I have lost my battle. 
> 
> Some way, somehow the relationship between Taylor and Harry, which has inspired 1989, reminded me so much of Lydia and Stiles that I figured Stydia Haylor AU had to happen. 
> 
> (Most of the song lyrics included in this fic are actual songs, mostly from Taylor's albums, but there are some that I have written on my own)
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy the writing process!

**THE MUSIC BUSINESS** has always reminded me of the sky, it’s full of stars, those which have just risen, the ones that are shining and the ones that are rapidly fading. Quite a monotonous circle, right? Once in a while, however, the process gets out of the rut and then appears a star bigger and brighter than the others- _a supernova_. 

Due to my sincere work engagement and commitment I have had the pleasure of observing the glory of such supernovas like Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2, or most recently Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. Even though, I have enjoyed it down to the last detail, I could not get rid of the odd disappointment about the fact that I haven’t seen any supernovas during the last couple of years. 

The profound sadness accompanied me wherever I went until very recently my dearest wish has been fulfilled. Imagine my surprise when none other than good old X Factor became my own personal Make A Wish Foundation. Irrelevant is, however who granted my wish, what is important is who is the new supernova. Let me give you a hint, the tendency to light up the night is really homey for them. 

 

 **IT ALL STARTED** during the auditions, which are a three-ring circus made of a dire mix of quite talented, yet completely boring people and those who with every attempt to sing sound more and more like a whale’s dying breath. This time was very similar, except that the circus has finally brought a professional performer who saved the well-worn show.  
When they first came in, one young lady accompanied by two gentlemen, I did not think they would be the ones who’d wow me and leave me speechless. Honestly, apart from their good looks there was nothing quite outstanding.

 

The process of distinguishing themselves from the rest started when Scott and Stiles opened their mouth and immediately gained the title of the most awkward contestants to be ever seen on the show. It continued when Allison spoke up bringing unexplainable joy to the studio, to the point where I expected a rainbow to appear with unicorns capering right on it. The climax came with their performance, Allison started singing the first verses of _What Goes Around_ , her delicate voice spiced up by a little rasp promising she could do so much more (what she of course proved later) created a melancholic, but somehow not bleak atmosphere when combined with Stiles' guitar and Scott's fingers snapping. When the gentlemen joined their friend, quietly singing, almost whispering _Don't wanna think about it/ don't wanna talk about/ I'm just so sick about it/ I can't believe it's ending this way_ I knew they were promising. 

 

As Beacon kept on enchanting the audience with every sound and note, I couldn't help getting distracted by Scott's yet not used drums set and the fact that Stiles' guitar was in fact electric.

 

The answer to mine and probably everyone else's whys came mid-chorus. Scott put the sticks on the drums, gave his both companions side eyes followed by a nod and Stiles started playing the strings almost offensively, Allison's voice became louder and raspier just to turn into a desperate scream. Then everything changed. There were drums, there was frantic plucking and there was passion, so much passion in their words. 

 

 _The damage is done so I guess I'll be leaving_ never sounded truer than when all three members of the band were pouring their hearts out, owning the stage. When the last _Cry Me a River_ sounded, Scott threw one of the sticks in the air. When he caught it his face showed what I thought- the damage was sure as hell done.

 

 **THE REST OF BEACON'S** journey went much more predictably, after getting four x's on their audition and gaining a new fanbase (including an impressive horde of unstable teenage girls) Allison, Scott and Stiles stormed through the show earning themselves the second place which no band before them has managed to get.

Their covers of _Killing Me Softly, Toxic, Crazy In Love_ and of course the _What Goes Around/Cry Me A River_ mash-up have more than couple millions of views on youtube and the numbers keep growing every day. If you find this impressive, the next information will blow your mind- Beacon's debut single _Light Me Up_ (they really have a thing for ironic names, don't they?) on the day of its premiere flew off to number three on the Billboard list and occupied the place for four weeks straight. It seemed like wherever you went someone hummed under their nose I need you to light me up, baby be my beacon in the night.

__Their next released single _Radioactive_ was even a bigger hit as it has been in the top five till this very day. More than that it has been featured in the soundtrack of four different productions such as _The 100_ or _The Host_. Beacon’s debut album (again ironically) called _Light Up The Dark_ has been released exactly one week ago and right now it’s in the top three of iTunes next to Beyonce’s _4_ , Adele _21_ and Lydia Martin’s _Speak Now_. _ _

__**FIVE YEARS AGO** , when everything started, they all were just normal teenagers who struggled with school, puberty and young love. Scott and Stiles, who have known each other since they were little toddlers, always thought of starting a band, but it was more in the category of wild dreaming. _ _

__They both admit it was the success of Lydia Martin, who was funnily enough their classmate, that pushed them into starting a two-men band._ _

___‘We saw someone who we’ve known since kindergarten achieve this amazing goal and we thought that maybe, just maybe, it could be us one day’._ _ _

__If Lydia Martin was the drive for Beacon, then Allison Argent was the necessary fuel._ _

__The girl moved to Beacon Hills with her father after failing a year in high school, due to family complications. She admits that it wasn’t the easiest time of her life, because she felt like she didn’t belong anywhere._ _

___‘I felt like I wasn’t good enough, but then I met Scott and everything changed’_ _ _

__Indeed, everything has changed._ _

__They connected immediately during their first class together and the connection deepened when it turned out both of them were crazy about music.  
It took couple of jam sessions to turn a simple connection into love, which is exactly what made Allison join the two-man band. _ _

__

__Remember, never underestimate the power of simple human love, because it is exactly what allowed Beacon to happen (that or Stiles Stilinski, but he seems to be the only one who thinks this way)._ _

__When the band finally felt complete, they started performing in local clubs and uploading song covers on youtube only to take the second place in the X Factor just four years later._ _

__

__One word: impressive._ _

__

__**IT IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT** , quite something for a group of novices, isn’t it? Why is a band consisting of three such normal, some would even say ordinary, people so successful? The answer is because of their experiences. _ _

__

__**SCOTT MCCALL** , the unofficial (because _“Beacon is family not hierarchy"_ ) alpha of the Beacon Pack, says that what keeps all of them grounded is the fact their lives weren’t always a bed full of roses. _ _

__

__Further explanation never follows, but the thing with musicians is what they won’t say, they will sing._ _

___‘We write from our experience, because you write about things you know. I mean there’s a reason why there are about two billion songs written about heartbreak’._ __

__

_Lyrics like _‘I saw you with a bottle every night, when you were supposed to be by my side’_ or _‘I lost you too soon, I wish had more time, I wish I could see again that spark in your eyes, but you’re gone and I never felt more alone’_ , easily chosen as the most heartbreaking verses on the album combined with Stiles’ and Scott’s words make me believe their past has still a massive effect on them. _

__It’s visible when they’re performing live, how there are hundreds of intense emotions running through their veins, often ending in either tears falling down their eyes or strings being ripped. Makes me think that the good old truth never dies._ _

__

__The greatest art is born in misery._ _

__

__**EVEN THOUGH, BEACON** are one of a kind, without the right guidance they could be easily devoured by the ravenous beast that is the music business. I'm sure they wouldn't be doing as good as they are if it wasn't for the fourth invisible member of the band- producer Derek Hale. The heir of Hale's family label, _The Alfa Record_ , successfully pays tribute to his deceased mother, Talia Hale, by working with some of the biggest names such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce or Fall Out Boy, but right now there is no doubt that his main focus are his homies. Hale himself admits that it was Beacon's origin that first sparked his interest, but it was their personality that made him stay. _ _

__

__'When I heard Beacon for the first time I knew they were gifted, during the bootcamp I learned they had potential and by the time they came off second placed I knew they had the essential maturity. That's when I decided I wanted to work with them'._ _

__I could not agree more with your method Mister Hale._ _

__

__The collaboration fructified in a very good and very original album and it has been announced that the work on the next album has already started, so at least till next year the #BeaconSquad as the media tends to call them will continue to work together._ _

__

____**AT THE END** , I would like to state that I might be wrong, it might be all wishful thinking and Beacon could just a Fata Morgana of a very thirsty man.  
As always time will tell.  
Meanwhile I’ll jam to the sounds of _Light Up The Dark_ and enjoy the feeling of having a new supernova to watch. 


	2. A PENNY FOR LYDIA'S THOUGHTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE 22-YEAR-OLD has three hit albums, concerts that sell out in minutes, is Zuhair Murad’s ambassador and she spends her spare time hanging out with her friends on Maui. Who needs rainbows and unicorns, when reality is the American dream?

**THE 22-YEAR-OLD has three hit albums, concerts that sell out in minutes, is Zuhair Murad’s ambassador and she spends her spare time hanging out with her friends on Maui. Who needs rainbows and unicorns, when reality is the American dream?**

 

Lydia Martin is browsing a small vintage shop in West Los Angeles, her current home. Hair up in her signature braided updo and wearing a flowing sky-blue dress, she looks like a remarkably beautiful yet still completely normal young girl. She seems relaxed and at home, glancing at the pieces of estate jewelry and making small talk with the grey-haired owner about a pair of golden clip earrings. As we’re about to leave, she says “I just have to ask… Are you…?” Lydia smiles and breezily replies “Yes.” Even in LA, where music stars are a common sight, she can’t resist asking for a photo “My granddaughter is your huge fan”. Lydia looks at me apologetically and quickly poses for the photo in a well-practised manner. 

 

When we slip out the door it’s late afternoon, we walk down an alleyway to a rather low-key pizza place, where we sit outside and Lydia orders a small margherita pie and sparkly water. For two hours, she enjoys relative anonymity with only two middle-aged men stopping by our table wanting autographs for their daughters. Lydia signs their scraps of paper with a friendly “Here you go!”. Two passing fans, who look about 12 years old, look excitedly at Lydia, who sends them a bright smile, but the girls’ parents keep them from interrupting. 

 

As this year’s highest paid musical performer and the winner of six Grammys (and countless other music awards), Lydia is nothing short of a teenage icon. Running a $57 million brand, taking the red carpet by storm, performing in front of stadiums packed with screaming fans, and getting romantic with all the major Hollywood heart-throbs make her the perfect material for the music icon of our times. Especially the love life of the redheaded beauty is electrifying her fans and the media all around the world. As we sit and chat there is no way the specifics of any of Lydia’s relationships are going be mentioned, let alone discussed, especially the ongoing one with Jackson Whittemore (honestly who wouldn’t love a movie star who used to be your high school sweetheart?), however what Lydia Martin won’t say, she will sing. 

That is why waiting for her new album (which either a) doesn’t have a title yet or b) has a very significant title which will stay a secret till the very day of its release) is so exciting- not only are the songs good, but the lyrics are stories told with such real emotions that, we personally think it is an honour to have a song written about you by Lydia Martin (Heard that Peter Hale?). 

 

PS. Being able to interview Lydia is also very enjoyable, in case anyone was wondering.

 

 **COSMO** : With a new album coming out soon, do the lyrics from your last album, _Speak Now_ , still resonate with you at the moment?

 

 **LYDIA** : Whenever I write lyrics I focus on what I’m feeling at the moment, what I’m thinking about the situation I’m in, but I always try to insert in them a lesson for the future, something that’ll apply not only to my life, but to the lives of my fans. And I feel like _Innocent_ has a lot of verses like that, my favorite one is _“Who you are is not where you’ve been, you're still an innocent”_. Our past, even though it has massive influence on us, doesn’t define us as people. We can have a clean slate and I think it’s an important lesson to learn.

 

 **COSMO** : This attitude helps with coming to terms with mistakes of the past? 

 

 **LYDIA** : It does, especially when thousands of people are watching you and waiting for the smallest of wrong steps. It’s important to remember that your mistakes won’t define you. Songwriting also helps, because if something ends badly at least I know I’ll be able to create something better out of it. 

 

 **COSMO** : You’ve been living in the spotlight for quite a while now, do you think it has changed you?

 

 **LYDIA** : It definitely has. I started out as a sixteen year old, I was just a teenage girl who wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to fully devote to music or go to Harvard. It’s normal I grew up and evolved as a person, but I’m almost certain there are traits I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the music industry.

 

 **COSMO** : What kind of traits?

 

 **LYDIA** : Not covering up my talents or brain to please others, because they are the reason I have succeeded as an artist, or being very careful with everything I do, because my decisions affect not only me, but also my fans or simply flashing my teeth in a grin whenever I see a camera flash. 

 

 **COSMO** : Oh it’s good thing you got those. That smile, for instance, is the sexiest one in Hollywood according to Victoria’s Secret. How does it make you feel when you see yourself on numerous lists of the most beautiful people on the planet?

 

 **LYDIA** : It feels odd, on one hand it sure is somehow flattering, but on the other it’s not my goal and I don’t want to fall prey to society’s desire to turn women into emotional, insecure neurotics and those rankings do contribute to that a lot.

 

 **COSMO** : How do you deal with insecurity?

 

 **LYDIA** : I deal with it through music most of the time, writing down all of my doubts doesn’t necessarily erase them, but it helps me look at them from a different perspective. And when it gets really hard I just stay at home and watch the Notebook gazillion times.

 

 **COSMO** : Which song makes you feel the most powerful singing?

 

 **LYDIA** : _White Horse_ and _Dear John_ are songs that I’ve always been proud of because they’re about breaking out of that unbalanced, one-sided relationship when you clearly care more than the other person to the point where you start losing yourself just to keep them in your life. It’s a sinking feeling, it drains you out, but the second you break free you feel stronger than ever. Suddenly all the power that person had over you, comes back right where it belonged, to you. 

 

 **COSMO** : Have you ever had trouble standing up for what you want?

 

 **LYDIA** : When it comes to my career I will stand up for everything I believe in and be brutally honest and ruthless about it if there’s such need. This is probably why I am where I am now. When it comes to private life I try to do the same, but isn’t it always harder? There are so many young people who fear standing up for themselves and their beliefs, but I think that believing in yourself and fighting for you believe in is the real key to independence. 

 

 **COSMO** : Can you imagine doing anything else other than music?

 

 **LYDIA** : Being a scientist, discovering new, startling facts about humans, but that’s the only other thing that could be as thrilling for me as doing this. 

 

 **COSMO** : At the very beginning of your career you once said that nothing inspired you more than your hometown, Beacon Hills. Is that still true?

 

 **LYDIA** : Yes and no. I spend a big part of my life travelling so I get to see places which are simply magical and are a great source of inspiration, but I think Beacon Hills will always have a special meaning to me. After all, it’s where I grew up and I feel like there is something very peculiar about your teenage years. You’ll never feel the same confusion again or discover the same bizarre things about life. I can’t compare it to anything else, so it’s a neverending source of inspiration.

 

 **COSMO** : Do you miss Beacon Hills or LA fills the void?

 

 **LYDIA** : It was worse at the beginning, but right now I have my life here (in LA), my friends, my studio, my favourite restaurants, but there are days when I miss good old Beacon Hills where there‘s no pressure, no paps chasing people. 

 

 **COSMO** : Doesn't the business feel more like home ever since Beacon Hills has become the American motherlode of talent? 

 

 **LYDIA** : It does, I mean with every year I see more familiar faces. It's a nice feeling, especially when you consider the fact that most of us were at least familiar with each other before the glitz and spotlights

 

 **COSMO** : So there is a chance of Beacon Squad becoming an actual thing?

 

 **LYDIA** : Beacon Squad?

 

 **COSMO** : It's been all over Twitter and Tumblr since Beacon won the X Factor. Fans all over the world are waiting for you and your homies to reunite and rule the world together?

 

 **LYDIA** : The squad has already two members, so who knows, right? *laughs*

 

 **COSMO** : Oh now my hopes are sky-high. One last question, what’s the title of your new album?

 

 **LYDIA** : I can’t tell you that. 

 

Well I tried, I hope you appreciate that folks. 

_Jennifer Blake_


	3. These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like honestly, he could have died that night and he would have died a happy, fulfilled man. 
> 
> And even more honestly, he was pretty sure he was going to die then and there, when silence had fallen between them and it wasn’t awkward or anything. 
> 
> No, instead it was a like in a classic romantic comedy. 
> 
> He looked into her eyes, taking in the emerald of them. 
> 
> He looked at her and smiled, she blushed and answered in kind. 
> 
> He moved a bit closer to her and she didn’t move away. 
> 
> He leaned in ever so lightly and…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, this chapter was supposed to be a very short and very drabble-ish prelude to the story and then it turned out to be this long monster. 
> 
> I apologise for any mistakes that my tired eyes have omitted, I'll fix them the second I wake up. 
> 
> The songs which isnpired this chapter are: White Horse and Enchanted by Taylor Swift as well as James Taylor's Fire and Rain. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this treacherous chapter, which has deprived me of approximately 8 hours of sleep!

_Six years ago in Beacon Hills_

Humiliating. 

Being the only person stuck at the table instead of swaying, more or less, rhythmically on the dance floor was humiliating.

Being taken to prom by a random person Lydia had never even spoken with before was humiliating.

Taking a cab to the prom, because her impromptu date did not arrange a courtesy car, when his own got broken was humiliating. 

Watching Jackson flirtwith his date when the only thing she was flirting with was the tablecloth was beyond humiliating. 

This entire prom was one humiliating fiasco, one Lydia had created herself, when once more she had let Jackson Whittemore play with her heart and mind alike. 

When Jackson broke up with her, after one of his many tantrums, something inside of her broke. 

Lydia knew they weren’t those lucky ones who had steady relationships. She wasn’t a princess Jackson would sweep off of her feet and leed her up the stairwell, but, in spite of that Lydia had actually talked herself into believing their bond was unbreakable. 

She was too naive and too lost in his pretty eyes and even prettier words to come to terms with the fact that in their love she had to fight to have the upper hand. 

So the redhead continued on lying to herself, even after he had so easily ended things between them, and allowed herself to think he would change his mind, that he would crawl back to her on his knees and beg for her forgiveness, which she would happily give him after a lengthy apology and a steamy roll in the hay. 

Then they would go to the prom the way they should, together. Lydia’s perfectly planned world would be alright again. 

Instead, she ended up on the prom with a boring jock, she hadn’t even known existed, as her date. 

Wasn’t wishful thinking a blessing?

Lydia was staring blankly at the dance floor, waiting for her sad excuse for a date, whose name she did not remember, to bring her something to drink, when she felt the familiar spark of inspiration lighting up her mind. 

She quickly took her phone out of her clutch, and put down the words travelling through her brain. 

 

_There I was again tonight_

_Forcing laughter, faking smiles_

_Same old tired, lonely place_

‘Here’s you drink, do you…’

‘Shh, let me finish’ the redhead cut the boy off, not wanting him to distract her. If that night was a nightmare, maybe she would at least get another song out of it. Then it would actually make it worth the humiliation. 

 

_Walls of insincerity_

_Shifting eyes and vacancy_

 

‘Okay, you can continue’ With eyebrows already raised she turned to him, waiting expectantly at what kind of idea his fewer brain cells managed to create.

She should’ve suspected it was going to be something truly spectacular, when he cleared his throat and flexed his muscles, yet still when the words left his mouth, she was sure her stilettos just got knocked off. 

‘Do you wanna get out here? We could do something more interesting’ 

Yes, he definitely knocked her stilettos off. 

‘I will not leave this place to go somewhere with you, in fact I won’t go anywhere with you, ever again’ each and every syllable was articulated clearly and loudly so there were no doubts she meant what she said ‘Though, I have to admit, you are right about something. I could indeed do something more interesting than this’ Having said that Lydia grabbed her glass from his hands, flipped her hair and marched out of the hall to the music beat.

It was one hell of an exit.

Having escaped the ball room, Lydia headed towards the exit, feeling she needed some fresh air to soothe her mind. 

The strawberry blonde was pleased to discover that besides her, there was no living soul outside. 

Lydia strolled down the school’s courtyard enjoying the relative peace, wondering where to go next, because there was absolutely no way she would go back and face Jackson or the pathetic guy she had just turned down.

No way.

Then again, going back home that early would have gotten her attacked by approximately one hundred questions from her mother, which she did not feel like answering. 

Wandering around with no purpose whatsoever wasn’t an option either. 

Finally, after having thought about all the pros and cons, the strawberry blonde decided to abandon the two plans and ended up on the parking lot, sitting behind an old blue jeep, the only car big enough to provide her with the privacy necessary to do the one thing, which was always a good option. 

For a while she had had that one melody stuck in her head, a week ago she had recorded a memo of it on her phone in case she ever came up with lighter lyrics than those _‘You and I walk a fragile line, I have known it all this time, but I never ever thought I’d see it break’_ ones. 

The verses she had invented in the ballroom were ringing loudly and clearly in her head, making her think they were worth giving a try. 

After all, she had an entire hour to procrastinate, before she could go back home safely. 

Lydia pressed play and started humming under her nose, happily discovering the lyrics did, in fact match, the melody. 

She allowed herself to turn humming into singing, enjoying the feeling of entering the songwriting zone, when she heard steps followed by a noise, which could be only described as odd. 

She started up violently, hearing the interrupter back off. 

‘I already heard you, so running is rather pointless’ Lydia called up, deciding to finagle the meddler. 

‘Well, you still haven’t seen me, so I’d argue with the pointless’

She didn’t recognize the voice, yet she was sure she’d heard it before. And the mix of irritation and intellectual challenge it sparked felt so oddly familiar. 

If she was being honest, she was only half-surprised when she fell straight into Stiles Stilinski’s arms. 

She was aware of the fact that the Stilinski boy had some sort of oddly long-lasting crush on her, and even when she had ignored it since primary school, he was still always around somehow. 

Ever since primary school, he was always within ten meters away from her. It wasn’t close enough to classify as stalking, but just enough to make sure he was always in her visual field.

It was also enough for him to become, alongside with his best friend/twin brother/soulmate Scott McCall, Jackson’s main figures of fun. 

‘Oh my god, Lydia, I’m sorry. Are you alright?’ Stiles babbled inarticulately, his petrified eyes scanning her, looking for any damage ‘Please, say you’re alright’ 

‘I’m alright, though I’d be more alright if you let go of me’ Lydia answered hostilely, her emerald eyes staring straight into the boy in front of her, watching a wave of crimson red washing over his pale face as he quickly dropped his arms down. 

She did not react well, when people found out more about her than she wanted them to know and her musicianship alongside with her IQ were personal traits Lydia prefered keeping to herself. 

They simply did not fit the status quo.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you’ this time his words were nothing more than a quiet mumble spiked with a bit of abashment. ‘I just left my phone in the car and I kinda needed it so…’

Lydia looked at the battered blue jeep she had used as her cloak and felt the smallest feeling of regret building up in her stomach. 

Okay, he might have interrupted her and Jackson may have hated him, but the last time she checked, he wasn’t around and, all in all, Stiles wasn’t the bad guy there. He was just an awkward car owner with a possible passion for eavesdropping. 

‘No, you don’t have to apologize. I shouldn’t have been lurking behind your car’ her sharp tone shifted into a kinder one, as she gave up and allowed the sudden surge of ruth to overtake her. 

‘You can lurk around it whenever you want’ Lydia titled her head to the side, her pink lips quirking up in a small smirk as she watched Stiles shaking his head at his own words. It took him solid five seconds to regain composure before he spoke again ‘I mean, you can do whatever you want, as long as it helps you with composing’ 

‘Composing?’ Lydia repeated the word, feeling the wall around her rebuilding brick by brick. 

‘Yeah, isn’t that what you were doing?’ Stiles asked clearly confused, more silent burning questions sparkling in his chocolate brown eyes.

The strawberry blonde nodded and looked away, afraid she would snap at the poor boy again. He must’ve sensed something was wrong, because the crease on his forehead deepened. 

‘I didn’t ruin the moment for you, did I?’ he questioned, again looking truly petrified.

‘You didn’t ruin much, cause there wasn’t much to ruin. Had I had a guitar with me then maybe, but I was singing to my phone’ 

It was too much for her, she was too far from her comfort zone, but he was weird and nervous and so innocent. 

She didn’t want to take her frustrations and insecurities out on him. 

‘Would a guitar make up for all the damage I have caused?’ Stiles asked and Lydia couldn’t keep herself from smiling at his almost desperate need to make sure she wouldn’t hold a grudge against him. 

‘One guitar and I’ll forget everything’ she said and before she could have even finished Stiles opened the blue jeep’s trunk and took out a guitar case. 

‘So all’s forgiven? Stiles grinned at her and handed her the guitar, his eyes sparkling joyfully.

‘I’m a woman of my word, but I think it’ll be only fair if you play something to prove this wasn’t just a planned trap’ Lydia raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow, throwing down a challenge. 

She had to admit a tiny bit of her hoped he would pick up the gauntlet, because the instrument did make her curious. She had never seen him play before, but then again, no one had ever heard her do that either.

‘Your wish is my command’ Stiles beamed so widely, the strawberry blonde thought his face would split in two. 

They nestled on the blue jeep’s hood, Stiles took out the guitar and placed it on his lap. He took off his jacket and in that very moment a cold breeze blew making Lydia shiver more than just slightly.

‘Here you go’ Stiles wrapped the jacket around her petite frame overpowered by a sudden flush of boldness. 

‘Thank you’ Lydia allowed a tiny smile to creep on her face, motioning the boy next to her to start playing.

He nodded in response, before placing his hand on the strings and pulling them in a way, which seemed almost too delicate.

The strawberry blonde let her eyelids fall down only to open them seconds later, when she recognized the song. 

Fire and Rain was charged with such raw emotion, it had always been one of her favorites. 

Lydia’s goal was to be able to write lyrics which could move people, generate emotions, but no lyrics could move anyone without the accompany of an equally haunting melody.  
The melody Stiles’s fingers were playing was enchanting, Lydia was sitting almost wonderstruck with the amount of feelings the boy could put into playing. 

It was a kaleidoscope of love and longing, sadness and anger. 

And all of that delivered only in chords and the haunted look in his eyes. 

The redhead was thunderstruck to the point, where it took her couple of seconds to realize Stiles stopped playing James Taylor’s song and started playing the melody from her memo. 

Stiles looked at her sending a silent invitation to join him and maybe if Lydia hadn’t heard him play, she would’ve said no, but she had thus no wasn’t really an option. 

The strawberry blonde closed her eyes one more time, still needing some privacy. She didn’t usually sing in front of people. 

 

_There I was again tonight_

_Forcing laughter, faking smiles_

_Same old, tired lonely place_

 

Lydia opened her eyes just a little, noticing Stiles was gazing at her with such adoration she had to close them again in order to continue.

 

_Wall of insincerity_

_Shifting eyes and vacancy_

_Vanished when I saw you face_

 

The last line came out unexpectedly, but offhand lines were creations of pure inspiration, and Lydia appreciated them the most. 

‘Don’t stop’ Lydia said when Stiles started slowing down the melody, she needed the moment to last, afraid the sudden inspiration would wear off later on. 

If Stiles was surprised he managed to cover it up, his fingers immediately finding back their previous rhythm. 

And just like that, when the melody filled Lydia’s ears, a wave of words flooded her brain. It took her some time to put the chaos in order, but once she did, it was incredibly easy to transfer it into actual verses.

 

_The playful conversation starts_

_Counter all your quick remarks_

_Like passing notes in secrecy_

 

The second she wrote the lyrics down, she noticed how much they suited her encounter with Stiles. 

It was odd and very unsettling. 

So instead of thinking about that aspect, Lydia repeated the last few words couple of times, mumbling quietly under her nose, focusing on the fact it felt like they lacked something, but she couldn’t exactly figure out what the mysterious something was. 

The strawberry blonde took her emerald eyes off of her phone and glanced at Stiles in search for inspiration, but once her eyes landed on him, she suddenly forgot she was looking for anything in the first place. 

His fingers played the strings so fondly, it was almost as if he was caressing them and it was noticeable in every single note. He treated them with such care and they answered in kind, sounding almost magically. 

It was still her melody, but emblazoned with fairy dust, but it wasn’t Stiles’ magic that made it unable for her to tear her gaze away from him.

It was the calmness written all over his features, so different from what she saw at school, or even when they first bumped into each other that night, so unusual.

His frantic and always too ecstatic movements suddenly replaced with awareness and peacefulness and, all at once, Stiles was no longer a worked up teenage boy, but someone who had incredible stories to tell. Stories she knew many people would want to hear, including her herself.

Lydia didn’t know why or how, but she was somehow glad she had opened her eyes just in the right moment to finally see Stiles Stilinski for who he was and not for the person she had always thought he was. 

The dark-haired boy, right as if on cue, opened his eyes, the warm brown of them meeting the intense green of the ones staring at him. 

Lydia fought with herself not to turn her head away, a wave of heat travelling through her veins, coloring her cheeks. 

She felt a bit better when Stiles’ cheeks reddened too. 

‘Ready to show me what you got?’ Stiles asked breaking off the silence, his tone playful, but tinged with generous hope. 

Lydia tensed up at the question, but that time it was easier for her to convince herself into opening the gates to her tiny little, private world. 

She felt like Stiles had shared a magical secret with her and the strawberry blonde wanted to do the same.

‘I guess, but don’t expect much. It’s just a draft’ Lydia might’ve felt slightly more comfortable, but she still thought a fair warning was very much in order  
Stiles nodded his head and smiled encouragingly. 

Lydia took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started singing. 

She liked how the words felt on her tongue, accompanied with the melody it felt like they were painting out the image she had in her mind while writing. 

The redhead enjoyed the feeling so much, she sang everything twice, letting herself get lost in the sound. 

It was the magical sense of relief which came with singing that made Lydia fall in love with it. 

The world could be spinning around while crumbling down and she still wouldn’t notice, that’s how engrossing music was to her. 

When her last word sounded in the air, Lydia couldn’t help but suppressing a wide smile from appearing on her face. 

She slowly opened her eyes only to find Stiles looking at her with his mouth slightly agape, such pure admiration visible on his features, that that time Lydia had to lower her gaze, feeling all of a sudden intimidated. 

Lydia wasn’t used to people reacting this way to hear lyrics or songs. To her as a person, or rather a figment of young Beacon Hills’ boys’ imagination? Yes. To something she had created with her own heart and mind? No. 

‘So what do you think?’ the strawberry blonde posed the question, a bit of hesitation showing in her voice.

‘I think that one day you will win a Grammy and a Nobel Prize for discovering some new math formula and that’s freaking amazing’ words left Stiles’ mouth at the speed of lightning. 

Relief washed over Lydia as she chuckled at the answer, deciding to ignore the fact that yet another one of her secrets got some way, somehow uncovered. 

What she couldn’t ignore was the mistake Stiles had made. 

‘Fields Medal’ She corrected, a tiny smirk escaping her lips. 

‘What?’ 

Lydia thought there was something almost quaint in Stiles’ confusion. Maybe it was because of his rosy lips being slightly agape which made him look like a surprised child or maybe because the color of his eyes matched the color of the countless moles on his face or maybe because it Stiles himself was quaint. 

No. 

It was probably the lips. 

Or the moles.

‘Nobel doesn’t have a prize for mathematics. The Fields Medal is the one I’ll be winning’ she gladly explained letting her grin get wider despite her inner dilemmas.  
At that point there was no point in holding anything back, purposely or not she had already showed most of her cards. 

 

***

 

‘A Fields medal and a Grammy. Don’t forget about the Grammy’ Stiles wagged his finger at the strawberry blonde, earning yet another grin from the girl of his dreams. 

Had someone told Stiles Stilinski he would spend his prom night with no one else than Lydia Martin, he would’ve laughed his ass off. Well he would’ve laughed his ass off and then he would at ‘spending prom with Lydia’ to his life goals list. 

But being there with her, hearing her sing to the melody he was playing, being able to see a side of her no one had ever seen? 

It was more than he had dreamed of. 

Like honestly, he could have died that night and he would have died a happy, fulfilled man. 

And even more honestly, he was pretty sure he was going to die then and there, when silence had fallen between them and it wasn’t awkward or anything. 

No, instead it was a like in a classic romantic comedy. 

He looked into her eyes, taking in the emerald of them. 

He looked at her and smiled, she blushed and answered in kind. 

He moved a bit closer to her and she didn’t move away. 

He leaned in ever so lightly and…

And then her phone rang. 

Classic romantic comedy,right?

 

***

 

Lydia jumped at the sound of her alarm clock going off, the movement being just enough to distance herself from Stiles. 

‘What the hell, Lydia? What the hell?’ her consciousness came back from its spontaneous vacation yelling at her loudly. 

Lydia turned off her phone, keeping her eyes on the display, not ready to face Stiles. 

‘I have to go’ it wasn’t more than a mumble muttered under her nose, but the redhead wasn’t really capable of doing anything else. 

She was too torn between listening to the screams in her mind and focusing on what she was feeling. 

‘Do you need a ride?’ Stiles’ voice wasn’t much louder than hers, the boy had to be way more shocked than she was.

‘I could really use one’ the strawberry blonde answered forcing herself to raise her head and face Stiles. 

His cheeks were still red and his pupils were still dilated and he still looked at her with awe, but his peace was all gone, replaced by the old awkwardness. 

They got into his car in silence and continued the non-speaking throughout the entire ride after Lydia told Stiles where to drive. 

That time it wasn’t a comfortable kind of silence, it was one full of unreserved tension and the strawberry blonde couldn’t help but wondering how on earth she ended up with unresolved tension between her and Stiles Stilinski. 

Stiles pulled into her driveway and Lydia still had no answer to the burning question. 

Instead, she had one very innocent and even more confused boy to deal with. 

The thing was, the redheaded girl didn’t really know how to approach the situation, so there were no words to describe her gratitude when Stiles spoke up first. 

‘It was enchanting to meet you, Lydia’ 

Hesitative voice, quiet words and hopeful chocolate brown eyes. 

It was all Lydia needed to make up her mind. 

‘I was enchanted to meet you too, Stiles’ she whispered moving slightly closer to Stiles and letting her lips lightly brush his cheek. 

Before the boy could have reacted, Lydia got out of the blue jeep and walked quickly to her house. 

Within minutes she was in her bedroom, looking through her window, observing how Stiles was performing something that must’ve been some sort of victory dance in her driveway. 

Despite the consuming confusion, Lydia couldn’t help but beaming at the view, deciding the maybe a moment of reckless spontaneity was worth making someone happy. 

She glanced one more time at Stiles, saying a silent goodbye to the boy who gave her so much more than just a guitar, and sat on her bed where her own instrument was already waiting for her.

With the guitar in her hands and memories in her mind, Lydia started playing, vaguely noticing how her melody didn’t sound quite as enchanting as it did when Stiles was the one pulling the strings. 

She had spent good two hours humming under her nose and writing down lyrics.

If it wasn’t Stiles’ words that kept her writing, then it was his smile or the way his chocolate brown eyes were sparkling when he was looking at her. 

It took her solid three hours to finish, but when the song was ready Lydia decided Stiles had definitely given her more than just a guitar. 

He had given her one of the best songs she had written. 

Before falling asleep the strawberry blonde took one more glance at what she considered her favourite part of her lyrics. 

Lies and excuses aside, she really was enchanted to meet Stiles stilinski. 

 

***

 

_This is me praying that_

_This was the very first page_

_Not where the story line ends_

_My thoughts will echo your name_

_Until I see you again_

_These are the words I held back_

_As I was leaving too soon_

_I was enchanted to meet you_

 

***

 

Her mother’s hysterical scream woke up her up in the morning. 

Lydia was too tired to open her eyes, let alone understand what her mother was saying, but when Natalie Martin sat down on her daughter’s bed, grinning like she was a child and she found out that every day would be Christmas Eve. 

‘What?’ Lydia asked through a yawn, fighting with her eyelids, which just wouldn’t open. 

Her mother’s answer was what Lydia liked to call the last sentence she heard in her old life.

‘The record label called. They want you to sign a contract’ 

And just like that, Lydia’s life ended and started again in the same second. 

Wasn't it ironic how she was leaving Beacon Hills just when she found something that might've made her stay in the town?


	4. There I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They stared at each other for not more than five seconds, but those short five seconds were enough for the strawberry blonde to be completely and utterly compelled by the honest happiness and excitement shining bright in them. 
> 
>  
> 
> They were enough for Lydia to remember how she couldn’t help herself from sending at least three texts voting for Beacon every week during X Factor. 
> 
>  
> 
> They were enough to remind Lydia the last time she had looked into them. 
> 
>  
> 
> Finally, they were enough for Lydia to realise she really had been waiting to see him in person. 
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, Lydia Martin had been waiting to see Stiles Stilinski and all the signs were that the feeling was mutual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, this is so so so long. I'm well aware of the fact that I have trouble with writing short chapters, but I feel like this has taken the problem to a completely different level, but well, what can I do?
> 
> The songs metionted in this chapter are Taylor's Enchanted and We Are Never Getting Back Together
> 
> I hope you like this (awfully lengthy) chapter and if you do please drop a review in the comment section :)

Lydia Martin loved her job, she loved it so much that calling it a job sounded almost offensive, but there were moments when she felt like the screams were a bit too loud, the glitz was a bit too overwhelming and the flashing lights were a bit too bright. 

 

As she was slowly walking down the red carpet, striking flattering poses with her signature smile plastered to her face, the strawberry blonde was experiencing one of those moments. 

 

Lately, she had been experiencing the off feeling quite often. 

 

That weird bubble of voidness seemed to swallow her in the weirdest moments like that one day when she woke up and felt like staying away from the outside world for the rest of her life, during her writing session when she was simply unable to put words into sentences with an actual depth or the previous day when she she was going through her old tour outfits and came across a bracelet Jackson had given her when they were just two normal teenagers.

 

Even her favourite gingerbread latte didn’t really taste the same way it always did. 

 

Much as the strawberry blonde appreciated the peace coming in package with lying to herself, she felt she was slowly reaching the point when she could no longer ignore the obvious. 

 

She didn’t quite enjoy her life ever since Jackson had, once again, become a part of it. 

 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t awful at the very beginning. 

 

When it turned out that Danny, her friend and one of the best young music producers she knew, was also a friend of Jackson’s the redhead was a bit surprised, then again the business, in spite of appearances, was quite small. 

 

She was definitely more than just slightly surprised to see her ex-boyfriend in Danny’s apartment on his housewarming. 

 

They hadn’t talked to each other since high school and, even though, they both lived in the spotlight it was the first time they had actually met face to face. 

 

There wasn’t any awkwardness or hard feelings. No instead, it felt as if they had never broken up and that was exactly what made Lydia have sex with Jackson, then and there, in Danny’s newly bought apartment. 

 

Then there was sex at his place. 

 

Twice.

 

Then at her place. 

 

Also twice.

 

And then they were back together.

 

Not more than a week later, when Jackson graced her with the one sentence she was so used to hearing, Just don’t write a song about me, Lydia started wondering if stepping into the same river for the second time was a wise decision.

 

It was six months later that she got certain it was a disastrous idea, when she was fully reliving her sad teenage years.

 

Not doing things she liked doing, because Jackson didn’t share her passions, not mentioning the songs she wrote about him, because it was bad press, deactivating her brain when she was with him, because body with an actual content did not suit Jackson’s fancy for most of the time. 

 

Even that night, he had managed to rile the redheaded girl with a quick, pre-red carpet spat. 

 

It wasn’t serious, it wasn’t meaningful, because how could choosing an after-party be any of those things? 

 

Instead it was just unnecessary and exhausting, just like Jackson himself if she was being honest. 

 

It was all madly familiar, but the scary part was that even if Jackson Whittemore was the first person to ever make her feel this way, he definitely wasn’t the only one.

*** 

There were so many of them, as cold as the grave when it came to feelings, but so ardent, when it came sex, that the very tip of the iceberg was enough to make the strawberry blonde cringe.

 

Aiden, whom she had been dating before her reunion Jackson, who instead of being a good old bad boy turned out to be just a really bad person in general.

 

Peter, who tried so hard to burn her out and had she not taken his matches, before fire could catch her, she would have been nothing more than sad, worn out ashes. 

 

Those were just the ones she had dated during the last two and half years.

 

She knew the scheme of those relationships by heart, but knowledge did not come in package with resistance.

 

The lingering question why was she letting history repeat?

*** 

Lydia moved to the interviews section with the question still ringing loudly in her head, but no answer or whatsoever was formed, when her brain was too busy repeating the well-practised answers to set of whens, whys and wheres the reporters had prepared for her

 

_‘Who are you wearing tonight?’_  
_‘Who's your date tonight?’_  
_‘When’s your album coming out?’_

 

Lydia smoothly went through the first two, _The dress is Zuhair Murad, the heels are Louboutins and the clutch and the jewellery are Bulgari_ and _I needed someone really cool, so I decided to be my own date_ , she had just started explaining why the release date of her new album was still shrouded in mystery when she noticed a hand waving at her from the other side of the carpet. 

 

She automatically waved back, not even thinking about who exactly was waving, that was until she recognized the person. 

 

Scott McCall from Beacon, both the band and the town. 

 

Lydia smiled with her hand still up, her eyes skimming over the man’s features, noticing how the TV did not do his new manly features justice. 

 

‘… I still feel there are couple things I could work on, so it definitely won’t be released till fall’ The redheaded girl continued as her eyes kept searching the carpet for a much more familiar face. 

 

Instead, she noticed the auburn haired girl, Allison, the one member of Beacon she did not share her high-school experience with, lavishing bright smiles at the people surrounding her. 

 

When Allison beamed back at her and Lydia felt her already existing sympathy towards her growing. 

 

She was a living ray of sunshine and the vicious business needed that, desperately. 

 

'Well, me and milion other people are waiting, but no pressure. And tonight...'

 

The rest of the sentence Lydia didn't get to hear, because it was precisely the part, which got muted when her emerald eyes locked with a pair of chocolate brown ones. 

 

They stared at each other for not more than five seconds, but those short five seconds were enough for the strawberry blonde to be completely and utterly compelled by the honest happiness and excitement shining bright in them. 

 

They were enough for Lydia to remember how she couldn’t help herself from sending at least three texts voting for Beacon every week during X Factor. 

 

They were enough to remind Lydia the last time she had looked into them. 

 

Finally, they were enough for Lydia to realise she really had been waiting to see him in person. 

 

Yes, Lydia Martin had been waiting to see Stiles Stilinski and all the signs were that the feeling was mutual. 

 

It was the flare of the camera’s flash that shook her out of her silent conversation with Stiles. 

 

‘ I feel like we’re interrupting some Beacon graduate meeting here’ Terrence Howard wave at Beacon energetically while the camera zoomed in on Lydia making her suddenly hyper aware of how rumours-creating and rumours-fueling the played out scene was. 

 

She could already see the headlines in her head. 

 

If _‘Lydia finds new prey, Jackson feels betrayed’_ was the tamest of them all, major fixing was required. 

 

‘Beacon Squad, right?’ Lydia shrugged, a practised playful smile already present on her lips 

 

‘Oh I see, gotta give people what they want’ Terrence replied, showing he, willingly or not, did catch the bait Lydia threw at him.

 

‘Our aim's to please’ The redhead continued while her mind kept on trying to asses the possible damage.

 

‘Okay we have to finish, but I’ll surely catch you inside to get a picture of Beacon Squad. I’m planning on going viral tonight’ 

 

They exchanged see you later hugs, and as Lydia moved forward to another interview station, she remembered to keep her eyes glued to the interviewer this time. 

 

The media had always had an extremely cautious and ruthless eye on her when it came to relationships and she did not want both the _Red_ album and tour to get outshined by dating scandals. 

 

And she certainly did not want to bring innocent novices straight into her madness, especially if she had already seen the fans and journalists alike making manips of her with Stiles, Scott and even with Allison.

 

The fear of the incident lightning up the press' radars increased when the majority of remaining interviews had a couple of questions about the infamous creature called Beacon Squad.

 

A part of her knew it might have had nothing to do with her losing her act, but better safe than sorry was a much reasonable approach and Lydia Martin was nothing if not reasonable. 

 

That was exactly why Lydia promised herself her next interaction with Beacon, and most of all Stiles Stilinski, was going to happen as far away from the cameras as it was possible.

*** 

Lydia entered the hall and headed towards the front, stopping every couple of steps to greet acquaintances and take some pictures with fellow musicians.

 

The strawberry blonde spotted a familiar tanned face in the busy crowd and decided to say _hi_ to Danny, since the show wouldn’t start for the next forty-five minutes, and Jackson was supposed to start the carpet only after she finished her stroll. 

 

‘Hey handsome’ she greeted Danny, who looked very engrossed with something on his phone. 

 

‘Well, hello stranger. I haven’t heard from you in a while’ Danny said pulling Lydia into a hug ‘You look vibrant, yellow suits you’ he added, when they separated. still glancing at his phone. 

 

‘Thank you very much’ The strawberry blonde made a curtsy to the man, which he did not notice, because his eyes were once again glued to his phone ‘What are you looking at? Lydia asked, getting a bit annoyed with the lack of attention.

 

‘Something you should definitely look at’ Danny said handing her his IPhone. 

 

The stress on the you and the knowing smirk on his face were enough to terrify the strawberry blonde.

 

With good reason.

 

Lydia looked at Tumblr dashboard, seeing a gif of her waving at Scott, followed by one where she was of course smiling at Stiles. 

 

The girl snorted reading the captions,wonderstruck by how fast the news were spreading.

 

_Yasss, finally we get #BeaconSquad_

 

_Stiles and Lydia tho, what’s their ship name? Stydia? Martinski?_

 

_Stydia my ass, give me some Sterek for heaven's sake_

 

_Hearteyes motherfucker, we’re so gonna get Martinski_

 

‘I have to admit, I am more surprised than I should be’ Lydia gave Danny his phone back, shaking her head with resignation. 

 

If there was one thing she absolutely abhorred, it was the fact that no matter what she did music-wise most of people would still typecast her as either the broken hearted girl or the calculated femme fatale, not the musician and the songwriter she was.

 

‘It’s kinda funny when you think about it, not as funny as that one time everyone thought we were dating, but still’ Danny chuckled and Lydia had to join him, because honestly it was one of the highlights of last year. 

 

Especially that it happened in the exact time when Danny started dating a music producer, Ethan, who also happened to be Aiden’s twin brother.

 

It was pretty spectacular.

 

‘But look on the brighter side, you do look cute together’ Danny mocked earning an eye-roll followed by a glare from his redheaded friend ‘Okay, okay. Where’s mister perfect jaw?’

 

‘He’s gracing the carpet with his wit and good looks’ there was a shade of irony in Lydia’s singsong voice, which unfortunately didn’t escape Danny’s attention. 

 

Lydia could see he was going to pose her questions she wasn’t ready to answer, but to her gratitude in that exact moment Ethan came over giving her perfect excuse to withdraw. 

 

‘Hey’ Danny’s boyfriend or her ex-boyfriend’s brother as the strawberry blonde preferred to call him said, smiling at her welcomingly. 

 

Danny had assured her multiple times that Ethan didn’t hold a grudge against her and Lydia believed him, but she couldn’t exactly come around to spend time with him.

 

Whenever she broke up with someone, the strawberry blonde would always cut herself off from the delinquent and his ambient, which included his relatives and closest friends. She cleaned up her space, not wanting to have any reminders of the mistake she had made.

 

It was just easier that way.

 

‘Hey, I’m gonna go. I want to go through some fan mails, before the show starts’ Lydia declared, ignoring the crease appearing on her friend’s forehead. It wasn’t the time for fraternizing, nor it was the perfect time to have serious conversations. 

 

‘Have fun, guys’ she send both man the brightest smile she could offer and walked away before any of them could have stopped her.

*** 

Having finally taken her seat Lydia immediately took her phone out of her sparkling clutch, unlocking the screen and firing the Tumblr app, she had so unwillingly downloaded, in one smooth movement.

 

Gifs and photos documenting her encounter with Beacon were the first ones to show up in the search results under the _Lydia Martin_ tag. 

 

The strawberry blonde skimmed over the evidence material, her eyes lingering maybe a bit longer than it was necessary to simply assess the casualties, but pictures spoke louder than words. 

 

She couldn't help herself, not when she saw the way he was looking at her, like she had hung up the Moon, the Sun and probably all of the stars as well, but what made it even harder to close the tab was the fact that right there, in her emerald eyes, she saw the same. 

 

They looked enchanted with each other. 

 

Ironically, it was exactly what one of the users pointed out, using a quote from Lydia’s song. 

 

_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew, I was enchanted to meet you_

 

She had to smile at how close to home _theysaidspeaknow_ had unknowingly hit. 

 

She really had spent forever wondering if he knew she was enchanted with him that prom night.

 

There were couple moments in her life Lydia knew she would never ever forget and one of those moment was the infamous night she finally met Stiles Stilinski. 

 

It was the first time the redhead opened up to someone who wasn’t her grandmother or a record label, but in the first place it was the first night someone trusted her enough to let her in on a deeply pent-up secret.

 

The prom ushered the revolution in her mind and heart, one, which turned her into the person she was now. 

 

Even with all the soppiness aside, it wasn’t like she could actually forget about it if she performed the song she had written both for and because of him on approximately eighty percent of her gigs. 

 

And it was particularly hard to forget someone she had been seeing on covers of magazines and billboards for the past two years. 

 

‘God, that was exhausting’ 

 

The strawberry blonde actually jumped, when she heard Jackson’s voice. The oddest feeling of being caught red-handed spread shivers down her back and sent blood to her cheeks as she quickly locked her phone and put it back into her clutch. 

 

‘Isn’t it always?’ Lydia placed a hand on Jackson’s thigh, giving him her undivided attention, knowing that way he wouldn’t ask what it was on her phone that engrossed her so much.

 

Her little reminiscing party was over, but the thing was that certain memories demanded to be reminisced, as if it was the fuel necessary to keep them vivid and bright. 

 

It must’ve been that or the fact Lydia didn’t bother with getting familiar with the sitting schedules, either way, it was quite a surprise when she heard a very familiar voice not more than two rows behind them. 

 

'Oh look who we have here, little Scotty McCall' Jackson certainly did not read Lydia's silent plea to keep everything as low key as possible. It must have been the exact opposite, because he made sure his girlfriend wasn't the only person who heard him. 

 

'Jackson Whittemore, always a pleasure to see you' 

 

As Lydia turned around she was met with Scott's broad smile as he walked over to them, to Lydia's surprise and slight relief, alone. 

 

'I'd say the same McCall, but my parents always told me to say the truth so...'

 

Jackson so was followed by a hiss when Lydia stood up and not so accidently dug her heel in his toes. The girl, however, intentionally ignored him and turned her attention to Scott. 

 

'Moving to another topic, your album is really good, so congratulations’ the strawberry blonde affably squeezed Scott's shoulder hoping he wouldn’t be taken aback by the change in her behavior.

 

High school Lydia and twenty-two year old Lydia weren’t exactly alike, though looking at Jackson, Lydia wasn’t that sure of it anymore.

 

'Thanks Lydia’ if he was surprised his cheerful tone hid it well ‘It means a lot coming from someone like you' Scott beamed, the pride lightning up his eyes, reminding Lydia of her own start in the business. 

 

There was nothing quite like the innocence and enthusiasm of a beginner.

 

Lydia was going to ask Scott about their tour, but just then the remaining two thirds of Beacon joined them. 

 

'Dude, Britney Spears just said she loves us, Britney freaking Spears and oh…’ Stiles’ mouth shaped into the perfect _o_ as his chocolate eyes skimmed over his best friend’s companions. 

 

Within seconds Lydia’s heart travelled dangerously high, from her chest to her throat, making it suddenly difficult to breathe.

 

Her eyes in an uncontrollable manner traveled down Stiles' body as she needed a reminder how tall he was or how much he had changed during all those years. 

 

‘Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you Lydia, I’m Allison’ Lydia quickly regained her once again lost composure and vigorously shook hands with the auburn-haired girl. 

 

‘It’s nice to meet you too, trust me I’ve been waiting for that ever since I saw your audition’ Allison cheerful vibes must have been contagious, because within seconds the strawberry blonde felt happier than during the last couple of hours. 

 

‘You watched our audition?’ and there it was, after so many years, the first sentence Stiles said to her. 

 

The surprise in his voice was so genuine it made something in Lydia's stomach flatter. 

 

Much as he had changed, when Lydia looked at him she somehow still saw the very same boy who played his guitar for her that prom night.

 

‘I watched the entire show’ the redheaded girl allowed herself to have a rare moment of honesty, which she knew was worth it the second both men's mouths shaped in the perfect _os_ once more.

 

‘Wow’ 

 

Lydia’s red lips quirked up in a smile as she watched the two best friend speak out in unison, which didn’t escape Allison’s attention who shortly joined her with a lilting giggle. 

 

‘Please, don’t say you have also voted, cause these two won’t make it to our performance’ 

 

‘Oh she has voted, hasn’t she?' Lydia winced slightly when she felt Jackson's arm snaking around her waist, she had almost forgotten he was there, but one look at him and she knew he was sure as hell going to remind everyone about his presence 'But don’t get too excited it’s practically celebrities’ duty to aid the needy' Lydia's eyebrows shot straight up to the sky when Jackson flashed a vicious grin at the two lads. 

 

'I'm Jackson by the way’ Then there came the famous Lydia Martin dramatic eye-roll as Jackson in a truly gentlemanly manner kissed Allison's hand. 

 

At last a wave of embarrassment washed over the strawberry blonde when she caught Stiles glancing at her, a mix of wonder and disappointment adding a new darker shade to his warm brown eyes.

 

She had seen that look before, on many people, but on Stiles’ face it somehow mattered more.

 

To Lydia's relief the announcement that the show would start in five minutes sounded loud and clear in the speakers, saving her from any further embarrassment. 

 

'I guess we’ll see each other at the after party’' Allison squeezed the redhead's palm lightly.

 

Lydia sent the auburn-haired girl a grateful smile appreciating the chilly way Allison nodded her head at Jackson. 

 

The small gesture was enough to show the girl was a ray of sunshine, but only to those who deserved it.

 

'We definitely will. Break a leg guys' cliched encouragement was all Lydia could offer, but both the brunette and the olive-skinned man seemed satisfied with it as they went back to their seats, which were, or course, placed only one row away. 

 

She wasn't sure if it was enough for Stiles, though. 

 

He lingered slightly as if he was wanted to say something, but Lydia figured it might have been the right moment for her to speak out. 

 

‘I’m happy to see you Stiles’ The strawberry blonde muttered, using the fact Jackson had already sat down. 

 

It wasn’t more than a quiet whisper, so quiet that if Stiles hadn't been listening carefully, he wouldn't have heard it, but he paid attention. 

 

He always paid attention.

 

‘I’m happy to see you too' his answer was just as quiet, but his eyes spoke louder than words could. 

 

And for the second time in her life Lydia understood the message.

 

The question was, was she going to ignore it again or this time she would do the right thing?

*** 

'Well, that was charming' Jackson whispered in her ear the second they were alone.

 

Well, as alone as they could have been in a crowded hall. 

 

'I beg to differ' Lydia said more to herself, than to him, still keeping her voice down. 

 

There were way too many people around them to be having conversations like this.

 

'Why did that feel like high school all over again?’

 

Blood boiled in Lydia’s veins when she heard the high tone in Jackson’s words and just like that all of her efforts to keep her mouth shut were destroyed.

 

'Maybe, because you're mentally stuck in high school' she snapped back, before she could have stopped herself.

 

'Excuse me?' Jackson’s shocked whisper made Lydia want to pat herself on the back. 

 

She hardly ever managed to hit the right spot when it came to bickering with him.

 

'Exactly Jackson, excuse you' Lydia spoke out in the exact moment all the floodlights went dark only to brighten the hall a second later.

 

Had the ceremony started laterly, Jackson wouldn’t have allowed Lydia to have the last word, but luckily at least a small part of the odds was in the strawberry blonde’s favor. 

 

If it weren’t for that, Lydia knew irreversible harm would’ve been caused and that way the two of them were forced to glue bright smiles to their faces and act as if nothing happened. 

 

It scared her sometimes, how good she got at putting shows for people. 

 

Practice did indeed make perfect.

*** 

The redhead tried paying attention to the show, she really did, but it was the equivalent of mission impossible, with Jackson by her side and Stiles seated only one row away, perfectly diagonally from her.

 

Jackson’s palm was resting on her thigh in the most practised manner, while his eyes were firing shots at her whenever the cameras were pointed more or less directly at them. 

 

And whilst that was just a pint-sized nuisance, the fact that every couple of minutes the strawberry blonde’s eyes drifted to the second row, always in time to connect with the chocolate ones, was beyond alarming.

 

Every time the emerald green met the warm brown, the strawberry blonde would send a small smile and turn away hoping the faint blush painting her cheeks was covered by the actual pink blush her make-up artist had put on her face. 

 

Every time Lydia would also promise herself it would be the last time. 

 

It turned out she wasn’t as good at keeping her words, as she had always thought. 

 

Even though, she was the one making life difficult for herself, it still didn’t change the fact it was difficult. 

 

Real mission impossible.

*** 

Lydia, however, stopped caring about the convention around the time the winner of the _Debut of The Year_ was being announced.

 

While all the nominees were talented people and surely all of them deserved the award, the redhead kept her fingers crossed for only one of them. 

 

Well, three of them if she was painfully exact. 

 

Lydia turned her head slightly, looking over at Beacon, wanting to see their reaction as the nominees were being listed. 

 

Scott was trying to look really calm, but his zamierzony relaxed smile looked rather tense, Stiles’s upper body was twitching, shaking and moving in all the possible directions, reminding Lydia of the times they were still in primary school. 

 

The strawberry blonde enjoyed observing Allison’s reaction the most.

 

She was sitting with her right hand holding Stiles’ palm and her left hand intertwined with Scott’s, a calm, but joyful smile tugging on her lips.  
In that moment she was Beacon’s both anchor and playmaker. 

 

Yet even the calmest person would lose their cool once they won award and seeing Allison jump out in a surge of joy, pulling Stiles and Scott up with her was a sight to behold.

 

As the audience stood up giving the winners a standing ovation, Beacon performed a ritual of a group hug spiked up with some jumping, before literally running towards the stage. 

 

Lydia’s lips quirked up at the view, her smile getting even wider when she glanced at Jackson standing beside her and clapping.

 

She was well aware that it was all for the public, but it made her enjoy the moment even more, if it was possible. 

 

‘Oh my god’ Allison said looking at the surfboard Stiles and Scott were holding ‘Oh my god’ she repeated completely in awe ‘This is our first award and I lost the ability to speak so thank you for that’

 

The hall laughed in response, rewarding her with another round of applause and Lydia gladly joined in, remembering how similar her reaction was when she won the same award five years ago. 

 

‘Since our main voice can’t speak I would like to thank everyone who voted on us on the X-Factor and everyone who voted for us as the Debut of The Year, we wouldn’t be standing here without you’

 

‘Also a massive thank you to Derek and everyone in the Alpha Record, you are like family to us’ Stiles added making a horde of teenage girls squeal loudly. 

 

‘We would also like to thank our parents who have stayed by our side throughout our entire lives’ Scott continued after taking a glance at Allison and realizing she was still too shocked to speak. He put an arm around the awestruck girl, before continuing. 

 

‘Thank you mom for not killing me when I was aggressively playing the drums in my room for eighteen years, Ally’s dad for not killing us when we made his daughter turn from classic to rock and Stiles’ dad for not putting us in jail for violating the lights-out countless times’ Having finished Scott handed the microphone to Stiles. 

 

‘We’d like to dedicate this award to our moms, who unfortunately can’t be with us’ Stiles pulled Allison in a half-hug, searching for comfort, before finishing ‘We know you’re watching’ he was still smiling, but his voice broke ever so slightly making Lydia’s heart clench.

 

At Stiles's words the herd went wild, Beacon left the stage to the accompaniment of clapping, whistling and awing. 

 

As the trio moved back to their seats, the emerald of Lydia’s eyes met the warm brown of Stiles’. 

 

Lydia mouthed _Congrats_ and when Stiles mouthed back a _Thank you_ with the rosiest cheeks Lydia had seen in a while, the redheaded girl felt like maybe the night wasn’t going to be as awful as she thought. 

 

One look at Jackson, rolling his eyes at her, and Lydia’s newfound hope was nothing more than gone.

*** 

The rest of the gala elapsed in a blink of an eye, giving Lydia not much time to ponder over her foible of dating wrong, completely inappropriate men.

 

By the time the show was over, the redhead had no conclusions drawn, just more questions burning question filling her mind with every minute. 

 

Wasn’t over-analyzing a blessing?

 

Not more than forty minutes after the show ended, Lydia and Jackson were already in his black range rover waiting for the traffic to loosen up.

 

Even if thanks to Lydia’s immaculate planning skills they had managed to escape getting stuck in between the darting mob, as Jackson had so poetically put it, but there was no way to avoid being stranded in LA’s post award show long delay.

 

The strawberry blonde usually didn’t mind procrastinating in expensive black cars, she would always use the time to either take a beauty nap in a car, listen to music, on more productive days she would write her own music and whenever she was stuck in a car with men, she would let them indulge her whim. 

 

Taking into consideration the fact that there was a man, even her man, right next to her, the choice of the pastime should have been pure and simple, but when Jackson kissed the redhead’s neck when his palm slowly disappeared under the hem of her dress, Lydia suddenly felt that the action was somehow out of place. 

 

She couldn’t deal with hate-sex, angry-sex or any kind of sex with Jackson. 

 

‘Don’t worry about him, he’s used to this’ Jackson’s breath panting and hot on Lydia’s ear, his hands wandering and demanding, as he whispered to her what seemed to be the last straw. 

 

‘This is ridiculous’ Lydia blew a raspberry, moving away from the man in desperate need for some space. 

 

The ranger rover was roomy and comfortable, but with Jackson’s driver in the front seat and a scowling Jackson in the backseat it felt almost claustrophobic. 

 

‘You are being ridiculous right now’ The strawberry blonde watched her boyfriend stealing away her signature exaggerated eye-roll, deciding it definitely suited her better.

 

‘I am, and so are you and this entire situation’ Lydia replied knowing that she was very close to reaching a point, from which there would be no going back. 

 

‘Elaborate please’ Jackson raised his eyebrows, the frown between them somehow deepening against all the rules of facial-expressions. 

 

Lydia took a deep breath, breaking their eye-contact, trying to unscramble the thoughts flooding her brain. 

 

This wasn’t going to be plain sailing. 

 

Oh no, instead it would be like trying to survive a bomb, during a high tide, in a leaky cockleshell. 

 

‘This thing between us isn’t working, we’re not working together and I can’t do this anymore. Everyday I feel like I’m literally suffocating and this isn’t how people should feel on daily basis’ 

 

The strawberry blonde peeked at Jackson, searching for any reactions, but his face was nothing but blank. 

 

She decided to take it as a sign to continue.

 

‘Every ten minutes we fight, but whenever there’s a camera flash we act like we’re the epitome of love-struck spooners and it makes me feel like we’re in Beacon High all over again and I’m not that person anymore’

 

‘I have changed Jackson and the person I am now isn’t a person who can be with you’

 

With the last sentence out that was it, her confession was complete. 

 

It felt good to say out loud what she had been thinking for the past few months. The thoughts were loud and arresting, they were the screams only Lydia could hear, it was driving her insane.

 

And just like she had thought, letting it all out in the open reprieved her, and boy wasn’t that an alleviative feeling. 

 

The strawberry blonde looked at Jackson only to find him glaring intensely at her, yet the blank expression never left his features. 

 

His words, when he finally spoke up, weren’t what Lydia had been hoping for. 

 

‘Tell me, is it about that sad excuse of a model Aiden or that limp-wristed squad Stiles?’ He asked making Lydia’s mouth drop slightly in a very non-elegant manner ‘Or maybe someone else?’ Jackson added, taking advantage of her temporary loss of words. 

 

Her first instinct was to deny it, but with the first shock wearing off, Lydia decided to say the truth and nothing but the truth. She had gone through enough breakups to know it was the lesser of the evils.

 

‘Bumping into Stiles and Scott made me have some weird deja-vu moment and it assured me that I was right, but it’s not about them and it’s certainly not about Aiden. It’s about us Jackson, or rather about the fact that there is no us’ 

 

He remained quiet, looking cold and distant, which was precisely why Lydia had gained up the courage to ask the one question she needed him to answer. 

 

‘Jackson, do you even love me?’

 

‘I don’t, but you knew that’ his answer was quick, confident and vicious.

 

The breakup was her idea, she was the one who knew they did not belong together and she damn well knew the answer to the question before he spoke up, yet when she heard it something inside of her still broke. 

 

The rational part of her knew it was probably her pride was the victim, not her feelings, but the thing with Lydia Martin was that she was more sensitive, more fragile than she wanted to admit. 

 

‘Well, then I’m glad this is over’ the redheaded girl eyed Jackson, because it wasn’t like her to avoid eye-contact in such moments, hoping the sharp tone covered up her inner struggle. 

 

‘So am I’ Jackson shrugged in a way which seemed too nonchalant to match his angry tone.

 

‘Great’ Lydia hissed before she could have talked some sense into herself, she wasn’t one to engage in childish discussions.

 

And yet when Jackson hissed back a _Fantastic_ Lydia had to come back with a _Perfect_ . 

 

They would have continued if it hadn’t been for Jackson’s driver, Matt, who interrupted their little exchange of adjectives.

 

‘Mr. Jackson?’ 

 

‘What?’ Jackson almost growled at the man, making Lydia wince. 

 

She did not want her decision to affect poor Matt’s working environment, but she knew with Jackson there were always many casualties.

 

‘We have arrived’ Matt replied, his voice showing no signs of stress or annoyance. 

 

He was probably used to seeing not only Jackson’s sex life, but also his numerous tantrums. 

 

‘Do me this one last favour and don’t follow me’ 

 

‘I never planned on joining you there. You’re free to mingle with your commoners all by yourself’

 

Lydia’s only response was a huff, she let out as she was struggling with unbuckling the belt. Once she dealt with the obstacle, the strawberry blonde grabbed her purse and waited for Matt, who had just got out, to open the door.

 

She could hear the man approaching, when suddenly Jackson moved closer to her, leaving only inches between their faces. 

 

Her eyebrows shot sky-high at his actions, wondering what card he had up his sleeve.

 

‘Call me when you get bored with your new glop and you need a man again’ Jackson whispered right to her ear the moment Matt opened the door allowing the throng of camera flashes to attack them. 

 

Blood boiled in her veins, but her face was as cheerful as always when she got out of the car fighting with the urge to slam the door in Jackson’s face. 

 

Instead she only nodded at Matt and let the security guards escort her to the entrance. 

 

Her mask faded the second she crossed the club’s doorstep, inner fury emerging in hectic flushes and hot tears burning in her eyes. 

 

She needed two things: some breathing space and her driver. 

 

No scratch that. 

 

After one look at the crowd surrounding her and two looks at the bar in front of her Lydia Martin needed three things: some breathing space, her driver and a shot of vodka. 

 

Actually no, she needed shots of vodka. 

 

Plurality was crucial.

*** 

Lydia glanced at her phoned for the fifth time in two minutes, cursing the time for going so slow.

 

She had spent exactly twenty-seven minutes and thirty second on the fire escape steps waiting for Bobby to worm his way through the traffic and every minute of biding was making her more and more annoyed. 

 

Someway, somehow containing emotions was also getting harder with every second of waiting, and when the thirtieth minute of her torture passed the strawberry blonde felt warm tears trickling down her face.

 

Lydia furiously wiped away the teardrops she wasn’t supposed to shed. 

 

She was a narcissist whose pride and ego got wounded in action, not a broken-hearted girl. 

 

At least that’s what she told herself looking at the one verse she had tapped into her phone, because _We are never getting back together, like ever_ made a slightly different impression. 

 

Just when another tear decided to betray her and run down ruining the remainings of her make-up, Lydia’s phone beeped loudly. 

 

_I’ll be there in thirty, the traffic’s terrible. I’m sorry_

 

‘Great’ The redhead burried her face in her hands only to stand up few seconds later deciding she needed more fuel if she was bound to be stuck there for another thirty minutes.

 

Lydia passed the group of people chilling on the balcony as unremarked as it was possible for Lydia Martin and headed to the fount of all knowledge and inspiration. 

 

After not more than thirty seconds of waiting a bartender turned up to take her order, but she declined knowing a watched pot never boiled and there were plenty celebrity pots at the bar. 

 

Being the darling of _American music industry_ had its perks and not waiting in lines was one of them, but five years ago Lydia had promised herself she would avoid using them at all costs. 

 

She was known for keeping both feet on the ground and she did not want said ground to fall through.

 

And that was why Lydia kept waiting at the bar, occasionally saying _hi_ to musicians and actors she was familiar with and reassuring the bartenders she could really wait for her screwdriver. 

 

Only after seven minutes of waiting, the strawberry blonde started tapping her fingers on the counter, getting a bit more annoyed, but her irritation still wasn’t at the highest possible level. 

 

It did get close to great heights, though, when someone bumped into her, pouring alcoholized liquid on her bare arm. 

 

The redhead turned around with the intention to tell the person off, but said intention vanished, when she saw the one behind the attack was no one else than Stiles Stilinski. 

 

‘Oh my god, Lydia. I’m sorry. Are you alright?’ Stiles blurted out while taking out a pack of tissues from his jacket. making a wave of high school memories invade the strawberry blonde’s mind.

 

The strawberry blonde watched his frantic movements as he struggled with opening the pack with one hand, feeling a wave of high school memories invade her mind. 

 

‘I am’ Lydia smiled at the man, taking the tissue he was offering her, trying her best to ignore the spark of electricity running through her body when their fingers brushed. 

 

‘We have to stop meeting like this’ Stiles wiped away drop of what she assumed was a mix of tequila with coke from his own wrist, beaming at her sheepishly, looking rather drunk. 

 

‘I second that’ 

 

With three shots of vodka travelling down her bloodstream Lydia wasn’t as focused on keeping her reaction low-key and she did let her eyes take in Stiles’ features as she wiped the drops of vodka off of her skin. 

 

Her sight travelled from his warm brown eyes, which she noticed had a bit of gold in them, to his flushed cheeks and to his torso-hugging black leather jacket, which was oh so un-Stiles Stilinski-like, but looked oh so good. 

 

She did spend quite a few seconds staring at his equally black t-shirt, wondering if those were abs she was seeing underneath. It took her five seconds of examining to reach a verdict. 

 

Yes, those were definitely abs. 

 

And she was definitely staring too much. 

 

When Lydia looked up she was met with Stiles’s puzzled, but still bright expression. The strawberry blonde raised one of her perfectly neat eyebrows, feeling a smile tugging at the right corner of her red lips. 

 

‘You know, I was looking for you when we arrived, but you were nowhere to be seen’ Stiles seemed to be overpowered by the same boldness which was running in the redhead’s veins. 

 

Wasn’t alcohol the aphrodisiac of the XXI century?

 

‘It’s because I made myself nowhere to be seen’ Lydia replied shrugging nonchalantly only to cringe a second later at the memory of Jackson shrugging indifferently his stupid broad, muscular shoulders at her. 

 

‘And why is that if I may ask?’ Stiles asked, curiosity coloring his words. 

 

Just when Lydia was about to answer, the bartender handed her the long-awaited screwdriver and a bottle of still mineral water. 

 

Lydia thanked the man, handing him a c-note partly, because she felt sorry for the poor soul who had to deal with all the drunk people suffering from ego hypertrophy and partly, because she was almost sure she was going to end up taking the elegant tumblers home with her. 

 

‘Do you want to go get out of here?’

 

It was only when the question had left her mouth, Stiles’s eyes widened and his already flushed cheeks turned crimson, Lydia realized how ambiguously and naughtily her offer sounded. 

 

‘Oh god, I mean like find some breathing space, escape the sweating crowd’ The strawberry blonde explained practically babbling like an overstressed freshman who had just been caught red handed. 

 

Or like a certain member of a certain band from a certain town, which happened to be her hometown, but it was irrelevant, right? 

 

‘Of course, that’s what you mean. What else could you mean? Stiles asked, shrugging his arms almost theatrically.

 

‘I have absolutely no idea’ Lydia unwittingly joined Stiles in his game of denial, before going back to the actual subject ‘So…?’

 

‘Yeah, sure’ Stiles snapped out of his shock and nodded his head vigorously. 

 

Lydia nodded back and headed towards the rear exit, pushing her way through the cotching crowd. 

 

For the shortest of moments the strawberry blonde felt a ghost of hand on the small of her back, but she decided not to dwell upon it, because alcohol and dwelling upon gestures and their secret meanings was a very risky combination.

*** 

The rear driveway was, just like the redhead thought, pretty much empty.

 

After all, it was only ten o’clock, the night was young and there were still plenty rumours to start and plenty scandals to cause. 

 

The strawberry blonde sat down on the curb, and Stiles followed suit, but not before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her petite frame. 

 

‘Thank you’ Lydia mumbled wrapping the fabric tighter around her, not because it was chilly, but because she liked the smell of it. 

 

Somehow, despite the ubiquitous odor of sweat and alcohol the fabric still smelled like leather spiked up with mint and cologne. 

 

Somewhere, in the back of her alcohol-influenced brain, Lydia started wondering if Stiles, himself smelled the same way, but those were not the kind of thoughts the strawberry blonde could explore. 

 

‘So will I find out why you were making yourself impossible to find?’ Stiles reopened the question, curiosity coming to him.

 

‘You want the real story or the rigged headline?’ Lydia asked wanting to buy herself some time, because she really had no idea what she was supposed to tell him. 

 

‘I want the truth and nothing but the truth’ Stiles told her, probably impersonating a character of one of the many TV shows about lawyers Lydia didn’t have time to watch.

 

‘Tonight is the night, when Lydia Martin and Jackson Whittemore split up due to the fact that Lydia could no longer put up with Jackson’s deeply flawed personality’ It was the time for the strawberry blonde to impersonate E! Entertainment's very own Giuliana Rancic, her bitterness showing in every articulated word.

 

‘Oh’ Stiles muttered quietly, his eyes widening in surprise. 

 

Lydia had expected more from him, but then again, she didn’t give him much time to reply, before another set of bitter words flew out of her mouth.

 

‘Bobby, my driver, was supposed to have a night-off so it would take him a good hour to get here and I needed to find myself something to do so I threw a pity party on the fire exit. Then I ran out of alcohol and blew my cove due to thirst. Voila, that’s my story‘ The redhead shrugged, filling irritation building up inside of her, the alcohol running through her veins made controlling emotions harder.

 

‘You should’ve picked the headline’ Lydia added, looking at Stiles, who still hadn’t said a word, worrying she had startled him with her flush of honesty.

 

‘No, I like the long version. Not, that I like you being hurt, because of Jackson, cause I don’t ’ The strawberry blonde let out a relieved chuckle hearing the familiar babbling ‘I don’t like you being hurt by anyone and honestly, if it was up to me I would turn him into a coat and give him to you as a birthday gift’ 

 

At his last words Lydia’s light chuckle turned into a helpless laughter, one so genuine it made her stomach ache and eyes water, that time for all the right reasons. 

 

It took her a while to check the guffaw, but once she did, the strawberry blonde found Stiles looking at her with a wide smile on his face, the golden pecks in his eyes shining brightly.

 

‘Can I tell you something?’ Stiles asked when the redhead calmed down, as if he needed her full attention to raise the issue he had on his mind. 

 

Lydia nodded her head, tucking a strand of her strawberry hair behind her ear, looking at Stiles with eyes wide open, a mix of wonder and curiosity brightening up the green of them. 

 

‘You’re better off without him, he doesn’t deserve you, he never did. I’m not sure anyone on this planet deserves you, Lydia’ Stiles said quietly, his eyes never leaving hers, his words galvanizing the girl. 

 

She was not expecting to hear anything like that, because Lydia Martin never heard things like that. 

 

It was their meaning, but also the real concern behind them, the pure honesty in his voice and the fondness in his eyes, it all made it impossible for her to speak or react in anyway. 

 

All Lydia could do was gaze at Stiles, silently thanking him for the telling her, what she desperately needed to hear, even though, she had no idea about it. 

 

Stiles seemed to get her message, his fingers intertwining with hers and as he squeezed her palm, the warmest of smiles appeared on his face. 

 

The strawberry blonde returned the gesture, feeling the tension, both the new and the old, unresolved one, filling the space between them.

 

For the second time in her life, Lydia Martin was dangerously close to Stiles Stilinski, but for the first time , she wasn’t mortified by it.

 

She was still scared, but with Stiles looking at her with those big brown hopeful eyes and the alcohol still running through her veins, the strawberry blonde felt like she could overcome the fear. 

 

Too bad, Lydia couldn’t overcome bad timing and bad luck. 

 

Just when their faces were few inches from each other, Lydia’s phone started ringing, making both her and Stiles jump. 

 

‘Once again interrupted by the phone’ Stiles muttered to her, the tiniest of playful smirks making its way to his lips, as Lydia struggled to get the ringing device out her clutch. 

 

Turned out the search was unnecessary, because the exact moment Lydia placed her hands on her IPhone the driveway was lit up buy headlights Lydia knew belonged to her very own Range Rover. 

 

‘By the phone and my ride’ Lydia mumbled more to herself than to the brown-eyed man next to her. 

 

‘Timing is a funny thing’ Stiles stood up, drawing Lydia with him ‘Listen, I think we should…’

 

‘We should, for old time’s sake’ the redheaded girl finished the sentence for him, making Stiles beam at her, before she handed him her phone. 

 

As she watched him put his number in it, she couldn’t help but feeling happy at the unexpected events of the night.

 

She wondered if she was going to feel the same way in the morning once she would wake up alone in her bed, completely sober with rigged headlines impending over her, but she was still there, with Stiles, there was alcohol in her system and the only person watching was good, old and, most of all, trusted Bobby.

 

‘There you go’ Stiles gave the strawberry blonde her phone back, again forcing Lydia to ignore the sparks flying when their fingers brushed. 

 

‘Thank you, for everything’ Lydia said before standing on her tiptoes and placing a warm kiss on Stiles’ glowing cheek. 

 

Just like the first time, the strawberry blonde chickened out and didn’t wait to see his reaction. 

 

Instead, Lydia walked over to her car with the intention of not looking back. 

 

Stiles did,however, make her change her plan slightly, when he called out her, making her spin around like a little girl who wanted to show off her brand new pink dress. 

 

‘Yes?’ Lydia titled her head to the side, her eyebrows raised in question.

 

‘I was enchanted to see you’ Stiles sang out the updated lyrics of Enchanted, making Lydia burst out in laughter, before she got into her car. 

 

It was only when she was back at her home, laying in her warm bed, that she texted him her answer. 

 

_I was enchanted to see you too_


	5. This the very first page, not where the storyline ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles was extremely glad he did not have any beer in his mouth, because he would have spat it out, the second he fully saw her. 
> 
> Her hair was loosely hanging around her face, the color of it bringing out the ever-present red on her lips, her emerald dress swayed with every step she took, hypnotizing Stiles, making it unable to look away.
> 
> She was radiating.
> 
> ‘I’m not gonna say I told you so, but I told you so’ Scott whispered as Allison waved at the strawberry blonde.
> 
> ‘Shut up’ Stiles muttered back, not able to stop a beam from appearing on his face, when Lydia noticed them, her green eyes lightening up as she waved back gleefully.
> 
> He had a feeling that night was going to be the death of him, but he was more than sure, he would enjoy every single minute of the beautiful agony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) ISAAC LAHEY IS BACK IN TOWN! Or in other words he will, from now on, be yet another character of this story. He might be slightly ooc, but I feel like Lydia needed her own version of Taylor's bff, Ed Sheeran, and Isaac seemed to be a perfect for that role.
> 
> 2) This chapter contains mentions of Sterek (don't worry, only as fan-invented ship), which will basically be this story's version of the Larry drama in the One Direction fandom. 
> 
> 3) The songs mentioned in this chapter are: Taylor's I Knew You Were Trouble, We Are Never Getting Back Together (yup, I'm briging the staple songs in), Holy Ground, Sparks Fly and Enchanted (for the millionth time) and Ed Sheeran's Lego House (very briefly)
> 
> 4) Enjoy the chapter and as always reviews are more than welcome :)

_Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in_

_Trouble, trouble…_

‘Trouble’ Lydia threw her head back singing the last word to her impromptu microphone (or the remote controller, because everything in life was a matter of perspective). 

'So, what do you think?' She asked closing her laptop when the final notes of her song faded away, looking at Isaac expectantly. 

_I Knew You Were Trouble_ was the only song on _Red_ , Lydia felt quite anxious about, especially since her entire crew was mortified by her diving into the world of pop. 

____The redhead was in desperate need of some counselling, and even though Isaac had drummed his fingers and stomped his feet to the melody, Lydia craved verbal reassurance._ _ _ _

____'I like these, though I still prefer the strawberry ones' Isaac stated before taking a bite of one of the cupcakes the redhead had prepared for the impromptu listening session 'Oh, you meant the song?'_ _ _ _

____Lydia rolled her eyes at his badinaging, urging him to stop playing with her._ _ _ _

____Sometimes she couldn't believe the epitome of sarcasm sitting opposite her was the same sensitive person, who wrote heart-wrenching songs._ _ _ _

____'The lyrics are great, as always, the tune is really catchy, but it still manages to show how Peter made you feel with all of his manipulating bullshit. Plus it's definitely something new. I really like it' Isaac spoke up having swallowed the enormous piece of the blueberry muffin, making Lydia smile to herself._ _ _ _

____He knew her well enough to know who the song was about without her having to tell him. In her world it was the definition of a true friendship._ _ _ _

____When she met Isaac two years ago on Apple Music Festival, it took her five minutes to figure out three things: Isaac Lahey was ~~most times~~ sometimes a sarcastic chaffer and he also had an annoying tendency to wear scarves regardless the temperature, but Isaac Lahey was also one of the most caring and genuine people on the planet. _ _ _ _

____The first two aspects tested Lydia’s patience on daily basis whereas the latter made Isaac one of the very few people who Lydia trusted enough to befriend._ _ _ _

____After two years of friendship they were not only partners in crime and each other’s moral support systems, but also each other’s harshest critics._ _ _ _

____While Lydia was always sure of her decisions, working with Danny, a pop mastermind, was a very new territory to her and even Lydia Martin was sometimes afraid of taking a quantum leap into the unknown._ _ _ _

____‘Well, I’m glad you like it’ Lydia let out a breath she was still unwarily holding and went to the kitchen to refill the plate with her bakings._ _ _ _

____With the stress-related cramps in her stomach loosening, she could finally appease her sweet tooth._ _ _ _

____‘Well, it’s not like I have a choice. Not liking the song means no more cupcakes and I like the cupcakes a lot so…’_ _ _ _

____That comment did make Lydia take off her one of her black ballet flats and throw the it at him. Unfortunately, the item didn't hit its target, because Isaac ducked just in time. He always had a crazy reflex._ _ _ _

____‘No, but seriously, are you going to release it as the first single?’ he asked when Lydia came back, immediately grabbing another cupcake._ _ _ _

____‘I’m not sure, really’ Lydia shrugged, picking up her shoe and putting it back on her foot ‘It’s so different from everything I’ve done, more pop than country. I think I should start with something more Lydia Martin-like, though I would really like to kick off the promotion with it just so I could be incredibly dramatic, with all the flames and explosions’_ _ _ _

____‘I’m pretty sure there won’t be any flames or explosions, because you’re way too precious for the label’ Isaac stole another cupcake from the plate, making Lydia shake her head in wonder._ _ _ _

____His rapacious hunger never failed to impress her._ _ _ _

____‘You know me, if I want flames, I’ll have flames’ Lydia shrugged taking one of the blueberry wonders for herself knowing in approximately ten minutes they would be nothing but gone_ _ _ _

____‘Always bossing people around. So if not _Trouble_ , then what? _Holy Ground_ ?’_ _ _ _

____Lydia cracked a smile at Isaac’s turn of mind, because _Holy Ground_ was, indeed, on her list of possible lead singles. _ _ _ _

____The strawberry blonde wrote it, when one night, after a fight with Jackson, she was wandering around Central Park with Bobby by her side. She passed the park bench, on which Aiden kissed her for the first time and she couldn’t help but feeling longing._ _ _ _

____Even if Aiden wasn’t the person she wanted him to be, Lydia cared about him deeply, maybe even loved him and she knew he felt the same way. It wasn’t enough to keep them together, but being stuck in the most physical of all relationships made the strawberry blonde miss the times, when there was someone by her side, who didn't treat her like a sex toy._ _ _ _

____Haunted by the feeling, Lydia came back home and wrote the song._ _ _ _

____She didn’t send it to Aiden, because showing her exes lyrics she had written about them would be a big step out of her comfort zone, one she wasn’t willing to take, but she was still hoping he would know it was dedicated to him._ _ _ _

____Making it the lead single would surely help convey the message, but ever since last week’s events occurred Lydia felt the need to give Jackson some retaliation, and her personal vendetta turned out to be more important._ _ _ _

____After all, she was just a venguful human being._ _ _ _

____‘I was thinking about it, but I came up with lyrics to the melody Danny sent me couple of weeks ago and I feel like it will be the perfect message for the opening act’_ _ _ _

____‘Okay’ Isaac put down the cupcake, looking suddenly very interested ‘Care to share the masterpiece?’_ _ _ _

____‘I’m not done recording it, but I can reveal the title’ Lydia offered smiling mischievously._ _ _ _

____‘It’s something good, isn’t it? Tell me’ Isaac's eyes lit up with excitement as he prepped his elbows on his knees, getting ready for the big reveal._ _ _ _

____‘ _We are never getting back together_ ’_ _ _ _

____Isaac threw his head back laughing loudly and Lydia had to smirk at the view. It was the exact reaction she was hoping for._ _ _ _

____Her friend wasn’t Jackson’s biggest fan, in fact he had stated couple times he absolutely despised him and his ridiculously sharp jaw, so when Lydia informed him a week ago that they had officially broken up, he was beyond happy._ _ _ _

____'Jackson is going to love it’ Isaac commented when his laugh got replaced by occasional giggles ‘I can’t wait to see his reaction’ her added wiping a tear from his eye._ _ _ _

____‘Neither can I' Lydia winked at him before taking the long-awaited bite of the cupcake she was holding._ _ _ _

____As her taste buds exploded at the heavenly taste, the strawberry blonde’s eyes caught the lit up screen of her cell phone_ _ _ _

____She got two messages from no one else than Stiles Stilinski._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_______Hey Lydia,___  
_Reggie's at 9, right?_  
_S_

____ _ _

____The next one was so Stiles-like, Lydia couldn't stop a wide smile from appearing on her face._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____It's Stiles by the way, which you probably got from the S at the end or from the caller's ID, but yeah it's me__ _ _ _

____ _ _

____'You look like you could break into a Disney Song any second' Isaac's voice shook her out of the little reminiscing party she was having 'Why are you so happy?'_ _ _ _

____'Because of you, of course’ she answered, struggling to keep her face cool and not so overly-excited._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____Right, the reservation is for the name Morell_  
_L__ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Asking Marin, her publicist, for non-publicity related favors, such as reserving tables in her name, had become quite a habit for Lydia. It helped her create the false, yet very comforting,remotely safely bubble_ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____Oh, and the L stands for Lydia, but you probably got that__ _ _ _

____ _ _

____‘Do you want some whipped cream?' Lydia put down her phone and went to the kitchen to avoid further questioning._ _ _ _

____It wasn’t like she didn't trust Isaac, because she did, more than anyone. It was herself that Lydia found slightly unreliable._ _ _ _

____When Allison texted her two days ago asking if she wanted to go out with her and the rest of Beacon, the redhead was a) surprised Stiles didn’t invite her himself, b) relieved the invitation came at all, but c) not sure if accepting it was the right thing to do._ _ _ _

____She had spent two solid hours on analyzing whether it was a smart move, using the good old pros and cons method. The lines of arguments were as mentioned below_ _ _ _

**Cons:**
  * Attracting unnecessary, onerous media attention 
  * Imperilling Beacon 
  * Getting into Jackson’s fans black books 
  * _‘Another one bites the dust, Lydia Martin breaks one more heart’_ headlines 
  * ~~Stiles Stilinski~~



______ _ _

**Pros:**
  * Getting to know Allison 
  * Fixing things up with Stiles and Scott 
  * ~~Stiles Stilinski~~



____The verdict was sound and clear: the cons outnumbered the pros._ _ _ _

____What Lydia hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact that with the memory of the Teen Choice Awards after party still bright in her head, it would take exactly one minute of reminiscing the night for the few pros to outweigh the preponderant cons with emotional value._ _ _ _

____When Lydia texted Allison back, saying she would love to hang out with them, something in her stomach turned, warning her about the very probable danger and, even though, the strawberry blonde wasn't sure if said danger was just the media or her attitude towards one particular person with chocolate brown eyes, she still felt cautious about her decision and the possible outcome._ _ _ _

____With no alcohol in her system Lydia Martin wasn’t carefree and spontaneous, she was sensible and rational, sometimes to the point of being calculating, but who could blame her?  
She lived in a cold, ruthless world, where no mistakes were forgiven. _ _ _ _

____The strawberry blonde shook her head at herself. She was doing it again, overanalyzing everything and she had promised herself not do it that day._ _ _ _

____It was partly the reason she had invited Isaac to show him the couple songs from _Red_ he still hadn’t heard, she needed a distraction, because otherwise she would have spent the entire day walking back and forth, wondering whether to withdraw or not._ _ _ _

____With Isaac there all Lydia had to worry about was how on earth was she going to feed his insatiable appetite._ _ _ _

____Or so she had thought, before Isaac found out about her not-so-secret rendezvous._ _ _ _

____‘Stiles? As Stiles Stilinski? Unbelievable’ his words made Lydia dropped the whipped-cream she had finally found and rush to the living room, where she of course found Isaac standing with one hand on his hip and her phone in the other ‘The rumours are so terrible and cruel, but I guess some of them, including this one, are true. Am I right?_ _ _ _

____‘Have you heard of privacy, Isaac?’ Lydia demanded as she strode to regain her property, her eyes burning holes in the man._ _ _ _

____‘I asked you first, you answer first' Isaac reminded, making the strawberry blonde wish her looks could actually kill 'The rules of dialogue Lydia, you’re familiar with them’_ _ _ _

____‘Remind me again, why do I keep you around?’ There wasn't much for Lydia to do apart from rolling her eyes at Isaac, which was the little black dress of their spats, it worked every single time._ _ _ _

____‘Because you love me. Now spill the beans'_ _ _ _

____Lydia had to snort at the way he plunked himself down on the couch, rested his chin on his hands and waited for her to tell a fascinating story._ _ _ _

____‘There are no beans to spill’ The redhead stated, letting wishful-thinking fill her with delusive hope Isaac would let the subject go without further discussion._ _ _ _

____I took her twenty seconds of Isaac staring at her impassively and most of all expentactly, to give up._ _ _ _

____She took one very deep and very annoyed breath, before opening her mouth._ _ _ _

____‘They wanted to hang out with me, I agreed, we’re going out tonight. The end’ Lydia had to fight with urge to sing out a _Ta-da_ and take her well-deserved bow, but she didn't rid herself of the pleasure of rolling her emerald eyes one more time._ _ _ _

____‘If by _they_ you mean _Stiles_ , then-.' Isaac raised his eyebrows, his voice omniscient and mocking as ever._ _ _ _

____‘By _they_ I mean Allison’ Lydia interrupted, knowing she would hit the right spot with the auburn-haired girl name. _ _ _ _

_____Touche_ , the strawberry blonde complimented herself, when instead of another question she was met with deafening silence._ _ _ _

____Two years ago, when Beacon were still contestants in the X Factor, a twist of fate, or as Lydia preferred to put it the _\+ album_ promotion schedules, made Isaac perform in the semi-finals, which had led to her friend meeting the band and developing some advanced form of celebrity crush on no one else, than Allison Argent. _ _ _ _

____Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration._ _ _ _

____According to Isaac, the two of them talked and he saw sparks fly whenever she smiled (and yes, he had used her lyrics to describe it), but Allison was with Scott and Isaac wasn’t a menage-a-trois kind of guy, so they went their separate roads._ _ _ _

____Yet still whenever Isaac would see the auburn-haired beauty in magazines or hear her voice on the radio, his eyes would lit up and a wistful smile would cross his features._ _ _ _

____Lydia used to comment on that quite often, but when every remark of hers was countered with _takes one, to know one_ , the strawberry blonde abandoned the mission, yet with Isaac being nothing but annoying, she felt like bringing up his crush was appropriate. _ _ _ _

____Okay, maybe not exactly appropriate, but certainly effective._ _ _ _

____‘Touche’ Isaac finally said, rolling his eyes at the content showing on the redhead’s face ‘Where are you guys meeting?’_ _ _ _

____‘At Reggie’s’ Lydia sat back on the couch, feeling like they had reached a truce ’Danny was, well, sexually involved with one of the waiters and apparently they can be really discreet when necessary and I didn’t want to cause a fuss, so...’ she added to answer the silent question written on her friend’s face._ _ _ _

____The crease on his forehead was foreshadowing the lecture he was so going to give her. The redheaded girl took a deep breath preparing herself for a pro bono therapy session with Dr Lahey._ _ _ _

____‘You know Lydia, you really shouldn’t give two shits about what those people write about you in their filthy tabloids’_ _ _ _

____‘It’s easy for you to say Isaac, you’re being judged for your music, not for your personal life’ She wasn’t reproaching, those were the harsh facts._ _ _ _

____Whenever Isaac, or any other artist for that matter, released a song, people talked about the lyrics and the melodies. No one bothered with investigating who the song was about, because it was irrelevant, but when Lydia released a single?_ _ _ _

____All hell broke broke lose, in depth analysis of every word happened in order to find out who was her newest victim, articles about the betrayed poor soul were written, but no one cared about the effort she had put in it._ _ _ _

____Instead, she got hosts of award shows joking about _the girl who was gonna write a song about you_ in their monologues. _ _ _ _

____‘You’re twenty-two and what they’re doing is just rude, but you are one of the strongest people I know and if someone can show those people where there place is, it’s you’_ _ _ _

____‘I wouldn’t be so sure’_ _ _ _

____‘You should be’ Isaac insisted, his eyes never leaving hers._ _ _ _

____‘What I should be doing is start getting ready, otherwise I’m going to be very late ‘Lydia said glancing at the watch on Isaac’s wrist ‘We wouldn’t want Beacon to wait, now would we?’_ _ _ _

____‘We definitely wouldn’t want that’ Isaac stood up from the couch, stretched his arms and headed towards the door, but not before bluntly stealing the last cupcake from the plate._ _ _ _

____‘Take care, don’t panic and call me when you come back’ he said before kissing her cheek._ _ _ _

____‘Aye, aye captain’ Lydia said before letting Isaac out._ _ _ _

____When she was alone the voices chanting in her head got louder, Isaac’s words still ringing in her ears, but she couldn’t give in._ _ _ _

____There would be plenty of occasions to debate whether she was capable of shutting the media out or not, but there was very little time left for her to figure out what she was going to wear and what hairstyle she should go for._ _ _ _

____After all, setting priorities was the key to success, and Lydia Martin had success running in her blood, right?_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

*** 

‘Dude, relax’ Stiles jumped out at Scott’s words.

He almost forgot he had company, too focused on freaking out every single time someone walked out of the kitchen.

‘What do you mean? I’m super relaxed, I’m the most relaxed person you’ve ever seen’ Stiles answered, his eyes scanning the bar, looking for a certain strawberry blonde.

‘Right, the tics and the fidgeting prove it oh so well’ Allison gave him a knowing look, reassuring him his acting skills, were in fact, beyond pathetic.

Stiles made a note to himself to ask Derek to get him some acting classes. 

‘She agreed to hang out, because she wanted to, not because someone forced her’ Scott patted his back, his voice sure and uplifting.

‘Scott’s right, she will show up’ Allison’s expression mirrored the one on his friend’s face.

‘Well, thank you, I already feel calmer’ Stiles couldn’t contain the sarcasm from colouring his words ‘Have you ever thought about giving up music and fully devoting to counselling?’ he muttered under his nose causing his friends to burst out.

‘Oh my god, you are impossible’ Scott threw his hands in the air, while Allison buried her face in her own palms, shaking her head slightly. 

‘Drink this and shut up’ the auburn-haired girl handed him her beer in an desperate attempt to stop him from panicking and, even though, Stiles wasn’t a big fan of ginger beer, he gladly took a sip. 

He was about to take another one, when his eyes caught a glimpse of fiery tumbling curls. 

Stiles was extremely glad he did not have any beer in his mouth, because he would have spat it out, the second he fully saw her. 

Her hair was loosely hanging around her face, the color of it bringing out the ever-present red on her lips, her emerald dress swayed with every step she took, hypnotizing Stiles, making it unable to look away.

She was radiating.

‘I’m not gonna say I told you so, but I told you so’ Scott whispered as Allison waved at the strawberry blonde.

‘Shut up’ Stiles muttered back, not able to stop a beam from appearing on his face, when Lydia noticed them, her green eyes lightening up as she waved back gleefully.

He had a feeling that night was going to be the death of him, but he was more than sure, he would enjoy every single minute of the beautiful agony.

*** 

Lydia approached the table, her legs suddenly weak at the knees when her eyes immediately connected with Stiles’. The strawberry blonde shifted her gaze towards Allison, not wanting the already existent pink on her cheeks to turn into intense crimson.

‘Hello there’ Allison stood up, pulling Lydia in a welcome hug ‘I love your shoes, they look really familiar’ she added pointing at Lydia’s pair of golden evening sandals. 

‘I could say the same about yours’ the strawberry blonde chuckled lightly, when she noticed the auburn-haired girl was wearing the exact same pair ‘Nothing beats the good old Jimmy Choo’s, right?’ 

‘Okay, I don’t want to interrupt or anything, but I kind of have to, before this turns into a fashion police meeting’ Scott slipped in, smiling widely at the two girls. 

‘Said a man wearing Rag and Bone, from head to toe’ Allison rolled her eyes playfully while Scott and Lydia exchanged their hello hugs.

‘I’m wearing a shirt and pair of jeans’ Scott said defensively, making his girlfriend shake her head at him.

‘That’s what they always say, but you should see them getting ready’ 

The _they_ in Allison’s sentence was what turned Lydia’s attention from the bickering couple back to Stiles who was looking at them with a smile tugging at his lips. 

The second her green eyes landed on him, his gaze focused on her making her feel the same treacherous weakness in her knees. 

‘Hey’ Stiles shifted towards her, his arms opening tentatively.

‘Hi’ Lydia answered, her voice quieter than it was earlier, before wrapping her arms around him. 

He was so tall, that even with four-inches stilettos on she was still so much shorter, she had to stand on her tiptoes to hug him. 

When they pulled away from each other, he smiled at her shyly and sheepishly. There was something so adorable about it, it made her cheeks flush once more, the pink on them slowly transforming into red. 

‘So, do you like the place?’ Lydia asked once she took her seat, which was of course next to Stiles. 

‘I absolutely love it, it’s not too posh, it’s not too slovenly. It’s perfect’ 

‘Plus they gave us drinks on the house, so congratulations, you deserve a badge for the perfect choice of location’ Scott filled in, handing Lydia a drink. 

The strawberry blonde took a sip of it, pleasantly surprised it was her favourite screwdriver. It got her wondering if it was just a lucky coincidence or if maybe Stiles had somehow remembered she had drunk it on the after party. 

One look at his smug expression and she was sure, he definitely remembered.

‘Well, I’m not sure if the badge is in order, cause I’ve never been here before. I only heard they had celebrity-friendly backdoor policy’ Lydia admitted, before taking another sip of the liquid deliciousness from the glass.

‘I have to admit, I was quite impressed about the way you planned the whole thing’ Allison complimented, Stiles and Scott hummed in agreement ‘It was planned better than the entire X Factor’

‘I’m the self-proclaimed queen of the backdoor technique. If you want to sneak in and out unnoticed, I strongly recommend my services’ 

‘Stiles you should take notes’ Allison said in a teasing tone.

‘Yeah, maybe that way you could have business meetings with Derek without the sexual undertone’ Scott threw in making Stiles groan loudly. 

‘I feel like I’m missing something here’ Lydia looked around, slightly taken aback, but bemused. 

‘Derek and I have a passionate affair we are ineptly trying to hide from the outside world, because we’re concerned for the public’s deprecation’ Stiles rolled his eyes ‘We’re the star-crossed lovers of the music industry, at least, that’s what people say’ he added, clearly resisting another groan, which made Lydia snort with laughter. 

She heard a fair share of ridiculous rumours, but somehow the vision of Derek Hale, who was known from his brooding personality, being involved with Stiles, who was, well, Stiles seemed really funny to her.

Apparently Allison and Scott felt the same way, their giggles filling the air seconds later. 

‘Go ahead laugh at my gripe, though I must admit, I expected less laughter and more support’ Stiles pretended to flinch at their reactions, but his brown eyes were sparkling joyfully.

‘How did that even start?’ Lydia asked curiously.

‘I guess we’re both ridiculously attractive people, so we’re bound to have incredible chemistry’ Stiles shrugged nonchalantly, making Lydia let out yet another giggle.

The proud look on his face, when he made her laugh did not escape the redhead’s attention. 

‘Oh that, plus the fact Derek lights up whenever he’s with you’ Scott chimed in. 

‘Which has nothing do with the fact you’re a total goofball. It’s just another proof of his undying love for you’ Allison cuffed Stiles on his head good-heartedly, before chuckling again. 

Shortly, their entire table was laughing hysterically, when Allison read out loud one of the steamiest articles about Sterek, as the fans had christened the Stiles and Derek.

Lydia couldn’t help but thinking that, even though, she was never the kind of person to have a her clique, with Beacon by her side she decided maybe it was time for a change of hearts.

*** 

‘We need more drinks. Ally the same as always?'

As it was expected Allison nodded in response, proving once again she really had a serious thing for that ginger beer of hers. 

'Another screwdriver?' Stiles asked Lydia, finding it hard to articulate actual words, when she was looking at him with those big sparkling emerald eyes. 

'Yes, please' her red lips curled up in a grin, as she tucked a strand of her perfectly strawberry hair behind her ear. 

'Your wish is my command' Stiles bowed slightly before heading off towards the bar with Scott. 

On their way, Stiles couldn't stop thinking about Lydia, the way she flipped her hair, the way she squinched her nose when she found something funny, or the way she would lean towards him, with her arm brushing his every now and then sending electricity to his body, or her warm laugh. 

God, he was sure it would all stay with him for the rest of the night, or even more possibly, his entire life.

He had waited so long to see her like that, happy, unguarded and so close to him, he was afraid it was just dream. 

That was why he asked Scott to pinch him while they were waiting for their orders to be taken.

'Stiles, this is not a dream, this is not a drill. Lydia's really here!' Scott chanted and Stiles had to laugh at how the alcohol was making his best friend speak with rhymes.

'Man, I don't what I have done to deserve this, but I'm going to be thanking my lucky stars till the rest of my life'

'First thank Allison, but honestly with the way she shines so bright, you should count her as a star as well. So thank the stars'

Stiles shook his head amused by Scott's words. 

There were certain things that would never change. Broken up or not, Scott McCall would always love Allison Argent and Lydia Martin would never cease to amaze Stiles Stilinski.

*** 

‘Finally, alone’ Allison threw her hands in the air, making Lydia beam at her ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love these guys, I really do, but I’m in desperate need of some girl time’

‘I can imagine them being quite overwhelming’ Lydia admitted earning a vigorous nod from the auburn-haired girl.

‘You have no idea’ Allison whined, looking as adorable as it was possible ‘All the pranks, knock-kncok jokes and Star Wars marathons are hitting me with double force now’ Lydia smiled at the fondness in Allison’s voice. She couldn’t imagine a situation, in which the living ray of sunshine would be actually mad at her bandmates.

‘I don’t remember it being as tiring, back when Scott and I were still together’ Allison’s voice drifted away for a second, a melancholic shade painting her eyes, while Lydia was sure her jaw dropped and was left hanging somewhere around the floor. 

The strawberry blonde had the shock of her life, went beside herself, then went into another shock, and only after that she managed to pick her jaw up from the floor.

‘How long has it been since you…?’ Lydia posed the question tentatively, not even managing to finish it, unsure if Allison wanted to elaborate on the subject.

‘Almost a year now’ That answer was yet another eye-opener for the Lydia ‘I know, it doesn’t show’ she added, smiling rather reminiscently, when she noticed the surprise written all over the redhead’s features.

‘It really doesn’t, but it’s good.This way you don’t have the vultures sponging off your personal life’ Lydia stated, after all those years still a very bitter about the fact that, that was the way the business worked.

‘Isn’t it awkward, though? I can’t breath the same air as my exes, let alone spend most of my days with them’ Lydia asked out of pure curiosity, because she never really understood the whole _let’s stay friends, even if our relationship went down in burning flames idea._

‘It could be really awkward and that’s why we broke up.’ Allison took a deep breath before continuing ‘Our relationship was changing ever since the X Factor and one day we woke up and we knew that we had two choices. We could either continue and struggle everyday, only to lose the battle and among the many casualties there would be our friendship, Stiles and everything we’ve worked on. Or we could prevent the disaster from happening’

‘So you chose the lesser of two evils’

‘Exactly’

‘It’s just sad’ Lydia blurted out before she could have stopped herself, immediately regretting saying something as unhelpful and depressing.

‘Sometimes I think that when everything is over, when the kids won’t know who Beacon were, we’ll find our way back to each other, but yeah, it is sad’ Allison agreed, the faintest of smiles appearing on her face.

‘The price is high, almost too high, but the feeling that comes with the crowds singing out the lyrics you wrote, humming the melodies you composed, is the most intense, satisfying one, anyone could ever experience’ the redhead threw in, deciding she had to come up with some comfort, even if it was just a cold one.

‘It is, but I keep wondering if there is a way to have it all’ Allison said, the smile on her face clearer than before, reassuring Lydia that she was on of the eternal optimists.

‘To have your cake and eat it too?’ The strawberry blonde’s words hovered in the air, before certain gentleman decided to put in his pennyworth.

‘You can just split it in half!’ Scott’s voice sounded loud and clear, making both Lydia and Allison jump slightly ‘You eat one half, keep the other, problem solved’ he finished surprised no one else came up with such miraculously great idea.

‘Dude, that’s a real game-changer. I think we should drink to that’ Stiles offered laughing at his friend’s words while he handed Lydia her screwdriver. 

He seemed to notice that they had interrupted something, but to Lydia’s content, he acted like a real gentleman and didn’t comment on it.

‘We definitely should’ Scott nodded almost too briskly to look normal, giving Allison her bear, too tipsy to notice the way she was looking at him, longingly.

‘To splitting cakes in half’ Stiles said and the four of them raised their glasses, Allison and Lydia exchanging knowing looks. 

Lydia took a sip of her drink, wondering if there was a way to avoid picking the lesser of two evils and have it all. 

As she looked at the three people surrounding her, she really wished there was.

*** 

‘Okay, who’s up for another round?’ Scott asked, his voice louder than usually, thanks to the alcohol running through his veins

‘Me!’ Allison said jumping up from her seat, looking like a hog-wild student. It seemed as if the ginger beer scattered the dark clouds huddling around her mind.

‘I know, you’re always up. Lydia? Stiles?’ 

‘I’m good, thanks’ The strawberry blonde shook her head, feeling like she was tipsy enough.

‘I’ll pass, one more drink and I’ll join the giddily-dancing-on-the-table wagon’ Stiles answered grinning brightly at his friend. 

‘Your plan is working, it stretched out to fifteen years, but it’s working’ the whisper Scott designed only for Stiles to hear, reached Lydia’s ears making her raise her eyebrows in question. What plan was he talking about? ‘Enjoy yourself while we’re gonna get drunker’ Scott took Allison’s hand and pulled her towards the bar, but not before winking at them suggestively. 

Stiles cleared his throat awkwardly, deciding not to comment on his friend’s incredibly subtle behavior

‘If you wanted to know how a Beacon drinking spree looked like, then you are very welcome’ he smiled at Lydia, his eyes flicking to hers. 

‘I have to admit, it’s a sight to behold’ the redhead nodded, still puzzled, but contented. 

‘Lydia?’ Stiles asked standing up abruptly, clearly hitting on some sort of brilliant idea.

‘Yes?’ she tilted her head to the side, not sure what to expect.

‘Will you give me the pleasure of dancing with you to this very annoying, yet ridiculously catchy song?’ he asked, the golden bits in his eyes sparkling joyfully.

‘As long as it’s not on the table, yes’ though, startled she grinned and took the hand he was offering. 

Stiles lead her to the busy dance floor, but Lydia was too caught up in the feeling coming with their fingers being intertwined, to worry about the wild crowd. 

The strawberry blonde let out the quietest of gasps, when Stiles’ hands rested on her waistline, the heat caused by his touch radiated down her body.

Lydia, empowered by a surge of boldness caused by the alcohol, snaked her arms around his neck, the movement slightly hesitant, but sure enough to earn a shy smile from Stiles.

She beamed back at him, before burying her head in the crook of his neck, taking in the smell of his cologne.

They stayed like this for what seemed like forever, swaying to their own rhythm, ignoring the throbbing beat of the song, enjoying the feeling of passing peace. 

That was until Lydia’s big mouth and really curious mind decided to disrupt the peacefulness. 

‘Can I ask you something?’ she muttered without raising her head.

‘Pretty sure this already counts as a question, but feel free to ask another one’

The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes, but didn’t manage to stop the quiet chuckle from escaping her lips. 

Having gained all the courage she had, Lydia finally asked the burning question.

‘Why didn’t you text me?’ only with the words out, she realized how petty they sounded, but decided she was a) drunk and b) curious and c) maybe a bit petty.

She could feel Stiles taking a deep breath towards answering.

‘I was scared’ he finally said and that time she had to raise her head. 

‘Of what?’ their eyes locked, green on brown. 

‘We’ve been there before and, even though, everything seemed to be great, it was where the storyline ended. Pun intended‘ Stiles added making the smallest part of the redhead’s brain ponder over how many Enchanted-related remarks he had up his sleeve, while the other, bigger part focused on his answer ‘I wasn’t sure if it would be different this time and I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. I didn’t want to make you feel like you owed me something, cause you don’t’

Stiles shrugged looking more sheepish than during the entire night and it made Lydia’s heart soar. 

The truth was, there were very few people on the planet, who believed she didn't owe them anything. The thought of Stiles being a part of that small circle made something in her stomach flutter dangerously.

‘While we’re at it, why didn’t you call or text or anything after the prom? Apart from the fact you didn’t have my number, of course‘ It slipped out so quickly he had no chance to take it back, the realization visible on his features, but Lydia was glad he posed the question. 

She had been wanting to clear that situation up for quite a long time.

There would be no better time to do that, than the impromptu honesty hour they were having.

‘I was scared’ the strawberry blonde mirrored Stiles’ previous answer, because it was, indeed, the reason for her not reaching out to him. 

‘Of what?’ Stiles seemed too engrossed with their conversation, to shake his head at the deja-vu, which was clearly happening. 

‘I pretended to be this ice-cold, way more evil than I actually am, queen to guard myself and my music and I was doing a great job until that prom night, when you somehow managed to get to the real Lydia Martin. And that frightened me, because I wasn’t ready to reveal myself to the outside world’ 

She did not hold anything back, spilled the entire truth and it lifted the weight off her mind and heart alike. 

She looked at Stiles expectantly and slightly anxiously, not sure what kind of reaction she was hoping for, but when a grin so wide, Lydia was afraid would split his cheeks, dressed up his face, the strawberry blonde realized she couldn’t have asked for more.

‘That’s dandy, cause I was worried I had bad breath or something’ he said cheekily and Lydia rolled her eyes, but the beam never left her features, because how could it disappear, when Stiles looked happier than ever.

‘What a way to ruin a moment, Stiles Stilinski’

‘Wait, are we having a moment?’ Stiles asked, his tone more hopeful than playful, his eyes looking into hers so deeply, she wondered if he could see her soul.

‘I don’t know, are we? she asked back and the question lingered between them for the rest of their dance.

*** 

The next two hours flew by practically headlong, definitely too fast for Lydia’s liking.

She went from dancing with Stiles, to playing Never Have I Ever with Allison and Scott, only to be standing in the parking lot, waiting for their drives to pick them up. 

Guess it was true, with the right company, one could easily lay their cares and problems aside and max out.

‘I really had a blast tonight, so thank you’ Lydia said once the staff member, who was kind enough to lead them outside through the rear door, went back to the bar.  
‘We’ll ignore the subtle surprise in your voice and gladly offer our services some other time’ Scott pulled the strawberry blonde in a bearest of all hug, looking like a sportive, loving puppy. 

‘I appreciate the gesture’ Lydia replied, still amazed with how bubbly he was. 

‘Forget them, we need a meeting with nothing but the two of us’ Allison pulled the strawberry blonde in a hug, her thin arms squeezing the girl with so much force, Lydia started wondering what kind of commando training Beacon had in their schedules. 

‘I definitely, strongly, one hundred percently, agree’ the redhead replied earning two equally mockingly hurt looks from both man.

When the time to say goodbye to Stiles came, two black Range Rovers drew in and pulled over in tandem. 

‘This is amazing, we’re so in synch’ Allison squealed, clapping her hands excitedly.

‘Okay, little miss cheerful, time to get some sleep’ Scott bowed in front of Allison and gave her a piggyback to the car, making her giggle happily. 

‘Bye Lydia’ The former couple said in unison, before Scott closed the car door, in attempt to give her and Stiles some privacy, which Lydia had to admit was really sweet, even if she was quite positive he was glued to the window pane, watching intently.

‘I really had fun tonight’ she swollowed, feeling the air around them thickening. 

‘So did I, honestly it was one of the best nights of my life’ Stiles smiled with a nervous smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

‘Was? I think it’s still pretty amazing, if I do say so myself’ she found the words spilling out surprisingly easily, considering the fact her heart was thumping so loud, she was sure Stiles, alongside with the rest of LA, could hear it. 

A nervous laugh escaped Stiles as he shifted from foot to foot, looking as if he was having an inner debate about something. 

‘Okay, I’m just gonna say it’ he spoke up after what seemed like eternity ‘Listen, we’re leaving for New York tomorrow at five, but I feel like if I don’t do this now, I’ll have to wait another six years, and you are worth waiting for Lydia, but I’m drunk enough to say that I have done my fair share of waiting’ 

Lydia had to giggle at that, even if she was definitely missing a point in his adorable ramble. 

‘So will you?’ 

‘Will I what?’ the strawberry blonde tilted her head to the side, still confused.

‘Oh god, I forgot about the most important part, didn’t I?’ Stiles clapped a hand to his head, shaking it with disappointment ‘Will you go out with me? Like tomorrow?’

Lydia’s heart stopped beating abruptly, as deep crimson covered her cheeks and her red lips stretched in the brightest of all smiles.

‘I will’ Lydia nodded vigorously, feeling warmth spreading through her body at the disbelief written all over Stiles’ face. 

‘You will?’ He still seemed to be quite shocked, when she hummed in agreement ‘Oh wow, that’s um… dandy’ 

‘It is pretty dandy’ She laughed softly, rocking on her heels, feeling jittery and excited like a child on Christmas Day. 

‘Tomorrow, eleven o’clock?’ 

‘Sounds fine, I happen to know a perfect place’ Lydia said, thinking about the cafe she had discovered couple months ago with Isaac. 

‘That’s great, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?’ the strawberry blonde nodded her head once more, as Stiles stepped closer to her and placed the warmest of kisses on her cheeks.

He pulled away looking both shy and wonderstruck, and the redhead was sure her own expression mirrored the one on his face. 

The two of the spent couple of seconds, looking into each other’s eyes, sharing in the treasure moment, before heading to their cars with heavy hearts. 

Stiles opened the door to Lydia’s car, overwhelming the strawberry blonde with his ever-present manners and native kindness.

‘Stiles?’ his name escaped her lips, before she could’ve stopped herself. 

‘Lydia?’ he asked, curiosity brightening up the brown of his irises. 

‘ _This is the very first page, not where the storyline ends_ ’ Lydia hummed under her nose, not quite believing he made her quote her own song, but something told her that as long as he would keep on looking at her the way he did in that moment, she would do a lot of crazy things for him. 

And boy was she right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought of myself as a fluff writer, so I'm feeling quite anxious about the beginning of this story and your kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks and comments really help me keep my anxiety in check. So thank you very much for that!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter!


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